2000
#72,905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 248
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Darton
A locative surname referring to someone from Darton, a village near Barnsley, Yorkshire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 289 Americans carry the last name Darton. That puts it at #81,047 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,186,001 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Darton 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 Darton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
289
1 in 1,186,001
Census rank
#81,047
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
252
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 252 bearers of the surname Darton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 81047th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Darton, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.2%. The next largest groups are Black (37.7%) and Two or More Races (7.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Darton
The surname Darton originated in England, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "deor" meaning "deer" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "farm," suggesting that it may have referred to a place where deer were kept or hunted.
One of the earliest known references to the name Darton can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which recorded landowners and their holdings. The Hundred Rolls mention a Roger de Dertun, indicating that the name was already in use at that time.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, which listed a John de Derton from Derbyshire. This suggests that the name may have been associated with a specific location or manor in that region.
The Darton surname also appears in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334, which recorded taxpayers in England. One entry mentions a Robert de Derton from Nottinghamshire, further solidifying the name's presence in the Midlands area during that period.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals bore the surname Darton. One of the earliest was Thomas Darton (c. 1530-1592), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Maldon in 1559. Another was William Darton (1755-1819), a prominent English publisher and bookseller based in London.
In the 19th century, Jacob Darton (1809-1887) was a renowned English cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club and represented the All-England Eleven team. He was known for his exceptional batting skills and scored over 10,000 runs during his career.
Another notable figure was John Darton (1832-1911), an English architect and civil engineer. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings, including the Stockport Town Hall and the Bingley Hall in Birmingham.
Lastly, Charles Darton (1867-1943) was a British artist and illustrator who gained recognition for his depictions of rural life and landscapes. His paintings were exhibited at the Royal Academy and other prestigious galleries in London.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Darton
Among Census respondents with the surname Darton, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.2%. The next largest groups are Black (37.7%) and Two or More Races (7.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Darton 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 Darton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.2% · 124
- Black or African American37.7% · 95
- Two or more races7.5% · 19
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Darton
Darton 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
#73,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 264
+16 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 559 places
2020
#81,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 252
-12 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 7,583 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #72,905 | 248 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #73,464 | 264 | 0.09 | +16 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 559 places |
| 2020 | #81,047 | 252 | 0.08 | -12 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 7,583 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 Darton 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 | #73,464 | #81,047 | -10.3% |
| Count | 264 | 252 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.08 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Darton bearers went from 264 to 252 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 7,583 positions in the national ranking, going from #73,464 to #81,047.
FAQ
Darton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Darton?
Name Census estimates that about 289 living Americans carry the surname Darton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,186,001 residents.
How common is Darton?
Darton ranks #81,047 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 252 people with the surname Darton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (289), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Darton.
Has Darton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Darton went from 264 recorded bearers to 252. That is a decrease of 12 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #73,464 to #81,047.
What does the Census say about the background of Darton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Darton, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.2%. The next largest groups are Black (37.7%) and Two or More Races (7.5%). 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 Darton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.2% (124 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Darton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.2%), Black (37.7%), Two or More Races (7.5%). 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 Darton (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 Darton mean?
A locative surname referring to someone from Darton, a village near Barnsley, Yorkshire. 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 Darton (0.08 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 Darton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.