Find out how popular the last name Deighton is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Deighton.
From a meadow where bees gather pollen.
Deighton, 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 Deighton surname is from the 2010 census data.
Deighton is the 60196th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Deighton surname appeared 335 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Deighton.
We can also compare 2010 data for Deighton 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.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | 60196 | 61058 | -1.42% |
Count | 335 | 308 | 8.40% |
Proportion per 100k | 0.11 | 0.11 | 0.00% |
The surname Deighton is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the village of Deighton, which is located in Yorkshire. The name is derived from the Old English words "deig" meaning "valley" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "settlement."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Deighton can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were a census-like record of landholders in England. This document mentions a William de Deighton, who was likely a resident of the village of Deighton at the time.
In the 15th century, the surname appears in the records of the Oxfordshire Visitations, which were official inspections of the pedigrees and coats of arms of the gentry and nobility in various counties. These records mention a John Deighton, who lived in Oxfordshire during this period.
One notable historical figure with the surname Deighton was Sir Ridley Deighton (1630-1698), an English politician and lawyer who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the late 17th century.
Another significant individual was John Deighton (1830-1875), a British engineer and industrialist who was instrumental in the development of the early steam engine and was a pioneer in the field of mechanical engineering.
In the literary world, Len Deighton (born 1929) is a renowned British author, best known for his spy novels and his intricate plots that often involve historical events. His most famous works include the Harry Palmer series and the novels "Bomber" and "Berlin Game."
The surname Deighton has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Deighton Fields and Deighton Hall, both located in Yorkshire, further reinforcing the connection between the name and the region.
Throughout history, the spelling of the surname has remained relatively consistent, with minor variations such as Dighton and Deyton being recorded in some instances. However, the core form of Deighton has remained the most prevalent spelling.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Deighton.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Deighton was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 95.52% | 320 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0 |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | (S)% | (S) |
Hispanic Origin | 1.79% | 6 |
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 Deighton has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 95.52% | 95.13% | 0.41% |
Black | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | (S)% | (S)% |
Two or More Races | (S)% | 1.95% | (S)% |
Hispanic | 1.79% | (S)% | (S)% |
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 Deighton was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Deighton, please contact us.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/deighton-surname-popularity/">Deighton last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Deighton last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 17, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/deighton-surname-popularity/.
"Deighton last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/deighton-surname-popularity/. Accessed 17 July, 2025
Deighton last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/deighton-surname-popularity/.
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