2000
#910
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,788
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.90
Uncommon Last name
Compton
From a place name meaning "settlement in a valley," derived from Old English cumb "valley" and tun "enclosure, settlement."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 39,318 Americans carry the last name Compton. That puts it at #1,000 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,717 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Compton surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Compton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
39K
1 in 8,717
Census rank
#1,000
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
34K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 34,287 bearers of the surname Compton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1000th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Compton, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Compton
Among Census respondents with the surname Compton, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Compton bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Compton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 28,747
- Black or African American7.4% · 2,539
- Two or more races4.2% · 1,439
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,090
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 242
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 230
Timeline
Historical Census data for Compton
Compton appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,830
+1,042 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 12.15
Rank movement Down 61 places
2020
#1,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,287
-1,543 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 11.47
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #910 | 34,788 | 12.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #971 | 35,830 | 12.15 | +1,042 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 61 places |
| 2020 | #1,000 | 34,287 | 11.47 | -1,543 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 29 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Compton surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #971 | #1,000 | -3.0% |
| Count | 35,830 | 34,287 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 12.15 | 11.47 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Compton bearers went from 35,830 to 34,287 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #971 to #1,000.
FAQ
Compton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Compton?
Name Census estimates that about 39,318 living Americans carry the surname Compton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,717 residents.
How common is Compton?
Compton ranks #1,000 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 34,287 people with the surname Compton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (39,318), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Compton.
Has Compton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Compton went from 35,830 recorded bearers to 34,287. That is a decrease of 1,543 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #971 to #1,000.
What does the Census say about the background of Compton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Compton, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Compton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (28,747 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Compton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.8%), Black (7.4%), Two or More Races (4.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Compton (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Compton mean?
From a place name meaning "settlement in a valley," derived from Old English cumb "valley" and tun "enclosure, settlement." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Compton (11.47 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Compton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.