Find out how popular the last name Compton is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Compton.

Compton, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Compton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Compton in America

Compton is the 971st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Compton surname appeared 35,830 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 12 people would have the surname Compton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Compton to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Compton

The surname Compton originated in England and derives from the Old English words "cump" meaning valley and "tun" meaning enclosure or settlement. It refers to someone who lived in the valley settlement. The name first arose in the 9th century in Warwickshire, where we find the earliest record of the place name Compton in the Domesday Book of 1086.

In medieval records, the surname appears with various spellings such as Cumpton, Comtun, and Comptun. One of the earliest recorded people with the name was Walter de Compton, who held lands in Warwickshire in 1170. The Compton family became prominent landowners in the area, with the parish of Compton Verney established in their name.

Another early example is William de Compton, who was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. The name also spread to other counties like Somerset, where we find John de Compton mentioned in the Kirby's Quest of 1327.

A notable bearer of the name was Sir William Compton (1482-1563), who served as Lord of the Bedchamber to King Henry VIII. He was granted lands in Compton Wynyates, Warwickshire, where the Compton family built their ancestral seat.

Henry Compton (1632-1713) was an influential clergyman who served as Bishop of London and played a role in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. He attended the Convention Parliament that declared William III and Mary II as monarchs.

Spencer Compton, 8th Duke of Devonshire (1833-1908), was a prominent member of the aristocracy who held various political offices including Lord President of the Council. His family branch descended from the Comptons of Compton Wynyates.

The name also has connections to place names like Compton in Berkshire, Compton Dando in Somerset, and Compton Bassett in Wiltshire, reflecting the widespread presence of the surname across southern England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Compton

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Compton.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Compton was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Compton has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Compton was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Compton, please contact us.

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