2000
#7,190
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,281
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.59
Rare Last name
Cureton
An English occupational surname referring to a curator or guardian, derived from Old French and Latin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,987 Americans carry the last name Cureton. That puts it at #7,388 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,730 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cureton 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 Cureton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,730
Census rank
#7,388
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,349 bearers of the surname Cureton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7388th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cureton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.1%. The next largest groups are White (42.3%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cureton
The surname Cureton has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "curu" meaning "kernel" or "grain" and "tun" meaning "town" or "enclosure." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a place where grain was stored or cultivated.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the medieval period. One notable reference is in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a John de Curetun is mentioned as residing in Oxfordshire.
During the 14th century, variations of the spelling emerged, including Cureton, Curton, and Curten. These variations likely reflected regional dialects and the evolving nature of written English at the time.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the Feet of Fines for Essex, which were records of land transactions. One entry from 1575 mentions a William Cureton of Hatfield Peverel.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Cureton throughout history include:
1. Edward Cureton (1808-1898), an English scholar and Canon of Westminster Abbey, known for his work on ancient manuscripts and translations from Syriac and Arabic.
2. William Cureton (1790-1846), an English botanist and curator of the Botanical Garden in Birmingham. He is credited with introducing several plant species to cultivation.
3. Sir Robert Cureton (1859-1947), a British military officer who served in the Second Boer War and World War I. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and the Order of the Bath.
4. George Cureton (1810-1889), an English civil engineer who contributed to the design and construction of several important railways in Britain.
5. Thomas Cureton (c. 1590-1672), an English clergyman and writer who served as the Rector of Plumstead in Kent. He authored several religious works during his lifetime.
While the name Cureton is not among the most common surnames, its historical roots can be traced back to medieval England, where it likely originated as a place name associated with grain storage or cultivation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cureton
Among Census respondents with the surname Cureton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.1%. The next largest groups are White (42.3%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cureton 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 Cureton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American49.1% · 2,137
- White42.3% · 1,838
- Two or more races5.1% · 222
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 118
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cureton
Cureton 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
#7,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,437
+156 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Down 314 places
2020
#7,388
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,349
-88 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Up 116 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,190 | 4,281 | 1.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,504 | 4,437 | 1.50 | +156 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 314 places |
| 2020 | #7,388 | 4,349 | 1.46 | -88 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 116 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 Cureton 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 | #7,504 | #7,388 | 1.5% |
| Count | 4,437 | 4,349 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.50 | 1.46 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cureton bearers went from 4,437 to 4,349 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 116 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,504 to #7,388.
FAQ
Cureton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cureton?
Name Census estimates that about 4,987 living Americans carry the surname Cureton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,730 residents.
How common is Cureton?
Cureton ranks #7,388 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,349 people with the surname Cureton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,987), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cureton.
Has Cureton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cureton went from 4,437 recorded bearers to 4,349. That is a decrease of 88 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,504 to #7,388.
What does the Census say about the background of Cureton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cureton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.1%. The next largest groups are White (42.3%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cureton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.1% (2,137 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cureton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (49.1%), White (42.3%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Cureton (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 Cureton mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a curator or guardian, derived from Old French and Latin. 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 Cureton (1.46 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 Cureton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.