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

Drayton, 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 Drayton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Drayton in America

Drayton is the 4640th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Drayton surname appeared 7,648 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Drayton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Drayton 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.

The history of the last name Drayton

The surname Drayton originates from England, with records dating back to the 11th century. It is a locational name, derived from the place name "Drayton," which means "dry or parched town" in Old English. The name is found in various counties across England, including Staffordshire, Shropshire, and Oxfordshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Drayton is in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions several landowners with this surname. The Domesday Book was a comprehensive survey of landowners and estates in England, commissioned by William the Conqueror.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire and the Pipe Rolls of Shropshire. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "de Draitone," which later evolved into the modern spelling of "Drayton."

Notable individuals with the surname Drayton include Michael Drayton (1563-1631), an English poet and playwright, known for his works "Poly-Olbion" and "The Barons' Wars." He is considered one of the most significant poets of the Elizabethan era.

Another prominent figure was William Drayton (1733-1790), a prominent American planter, lawyer, and politician from South Carolina. He was a member of the Continental Congress and a signatory of the Articles of Confederation.

In the 16th century, the surname Drayton was associated with several place names, such as Drayton Bassett in Staffordshire, Drayton Beauchamp in Buckinghamshire, and Drayton Parslow in Buckinghamshire.

Other notable individuals with the surname Drayton include:

1. Henry Drayton (c. 1564-1644), an English clergyman and author.
2. John Drayton (1766-1822), an American politician and judge from South Carolina.
3. Percival Drayton (1812-1865), an American naval officer who served in the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War.
4. Thomas Drayton (c. 1618-1692), an English-born landowner and politician in Virginia.
5. William Henry Drayton (1742-1779), an American politician and jurist from South Carolina, known for his role in the American Revolutionary War.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Drayton

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

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 Drayton was:

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

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

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

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