2000
#615
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 50,166
First available Census row
Per 100,000 18.60
Uncommon Last name
Dalton
Habitational surname referring to someone from a town or settlement named Dalton, meaning "valley town" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 56,102 Americans carry the last name Dalton. That puts it at #680 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 16.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,109 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dalton 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 Dalton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
56K
1 in 6,109
Census rank
#680
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
16.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
49K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 48,924 bearers of the surname Dalton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 16.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 680th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dalton, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dalton
The surname Dalton is of English origin, derived from a place name. It is believed to have originated from the town of Dalton in Lancashire, England. The name is thought to have evolved from the Old English words "dael" meaning valley and "tun" meaning enclosure or settlement, thus translating to "valley settlement."
During the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century, many people took on surnames derived from the locations they lived in or came from. The surname Dalton is believed to have emerged during this period, as people from the town of Dalton adopted it as a means of identification.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Dalton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Dalton." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and resources in England at the time.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "de Dalton" and "de Daltone," reflecting the Norman French influence on English language and naming conventions at the time.
Notable historical figures bearing the surname Dalton include John Dalton (1766-1844), an English chemist, physicist, and meteorologist best known for his groundbreaking work on atomic theory and the laws of partial pressures in gases. Another prominent individual was Michael Dalton (1564-1642), an English lawyer and judge who served as a Baron of the Exchequer.
Thomas Dalton (1759-1841) was an English priest and renowned mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of atmospheric refraction. Elizabeth Dalton (1815-1888) was a British pioneer in the education of the deaf, founding several schools and advocating for improved teaching methods.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Sir Samuel Dalton (1598-1668) was a notable Royalist commander who fought alongside King Charles I against the Parliamentarians.
The surname Dalton has a rich history, with its origins dating back to the Norman Conquest and its ties to the town of Dalton in Lancashire. Throughout the centuries, individuals with this surname have made significant contributions across various fields, leaving a lasting impact on history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dalton
Among Census respondents with the surname Dalton, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Dalton 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 Dalton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.0% · 41,094
- Black or African American7.4% · 3,615
- Two or more races3.8% · 1,881
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,624
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 383
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 327
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dalton
Dalton 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
#654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 52,184
+2,018 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 17.69
Rank movement Down 39 places
2020
#680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,924
-3,260 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 16.37
Rank movement Down 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #615 | 50,166 | 18.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #654 | 52,184 | 17.69 | +2,018 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 39 places |
| 2020 | #680 | 48,924 | 16.37 | -3,260 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 26 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 Dalton 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 | #654 | #680 | -4.0% |
| Count | 52,184 | 48,924 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 17.69 | 16.37 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dalton bearers went from 52,184 to 48,924 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #654 to #680.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dalton
FAQ
Dalton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dalton?
Name Census estimates that about 56,102 living Americans carry the surname Dalton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,109 residents.
How common is Dalton?
Dalton ranks #680 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 16.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 16 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 48,924 people with the surname Dalton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (56,102), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 16.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 16.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 16 of them to have the surname Dalton.
Has Dalton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dalton went from 52,184 recorded bearers to 48,924. That is a decrease of 3,260 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #654 to #680.
What does the Census say about the background of Dalton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dalton, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Dalton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.0% (41,094 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dalton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.0%), Black (7.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Dalton (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 Dalton mean?
Habitational surname referring to someone from a town or settlement named Dalton, meaning "valley town" in Old English. 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 Dalton (16.37 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 people share the surname Dalton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.