Derrington last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Derrington is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Derrington.

Meaning of Derrington

A habitational surname derived from a place name in Staffordshire, England.

Derrington, 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 Derrington surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Derrington in America

Derrington is the 57639th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Derrington surname appeared 353 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 Derrington.

We can also compare 2010 data for Derrington 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 57639 39756 36.72%
Count 353 520 -38.26%
Proportion per 100k 0.12 0.19 -45.16%

The history of the last name Derrington

The surname DERRINGTON is of English origin, deriving from the village of Derrington in Staffordshire. It is a locational surname, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name hailed from this particular village or its surrounding areas. The name can be traced back to the 11th century, with the earliest recorded spelling being 'de Derintone' in the Domesday Book of 1086.

The name Derrington is believed to have originated from the Old English words 'deor' meaning 'deer' and 'tun' meaning 'enclosure' or 'settlement'. This suggests that the village of Derrington was once a place where deer were kept or where deer roamed freely. Over time, the name evolved to its present form, with variations such as Derington and Derryngton appearing in historical records.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was John de Derington, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199. Another notable bearer of this name was Sir Thomas Derrington, a prominent landowner and member of Parliament for Worcestershire in the 14th century, born around 1320 and died in 1395.

In the 16th century, the name Derrington can be found in the Parish Registers of Shropshire and Staffordshire, with baptisms and marriages recorded under various spellings of the name. One example is William Derrington, baptized in Shrewsbury in 1573.

The 18th century saw the emergence of a notable figure by the name of John Derrington, born in Wolverhampton in 1725. He was a renowned clockmaker and inventor, known for his contributions to the development of precision timekeeping devices. His work had a significant impact on the horological industry of the time.

Another individual of note was Thomas Derrington, born in Derrington village in 1803. He was a prominent banker and philanthropist, establishing the Derrington Charitable Trust, which provided support for the education of underprivileged children in the region.

Throughout history, the surname DERRINGTON has been documented in various records, including parish registers, census records, and historical documents. While the name may have evolved in its spelling over time, its origins can be traced back to the village of Derrington in Staffordshire, reflecting the locational significance of many English surnames.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Derrington

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Derrington.

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:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Derrington was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 90.37% 319
Non-Hispanic Black Only 6.23% 22
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 1.98% 7

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 Derrington has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 90.37% 89.42% 1.06%
Black 6.23% 5.96% 4.43%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% 2.31% (S)%
Hispanic 1.98% 1.15% 53.04%

Data source

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 Derrington was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Derrington, please contact us.

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"Derrington last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 11, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/derrington-surname-popularity/.

"Derrington last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/derrington-surname-popularity/. Accessed 11 July, 2025

Derrington last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/derrington-surname-popularity/.

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