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

Eccleston, 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 Eccleston surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Eccleston in America

Eccleston is the 15541st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Eccleston surname appeared 1,883 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Eccleston.

We can also compare 2010 data for Eccleston 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 Eccleston

The surname Eccleston is an English locational name derived from the place name Eccleston, which is found in Lancashire and other parts of northern England. The name is believed to have originated in the 12th century, deriving from the Old English words "ecclesia" meaning church and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement.

The earliest recorded instance of the Eccleston surname can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Eclestone" in Lancashire. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the area by the time of the Norman Conquest.

During the medieval period, the Ecclestons were a prominent landowning family in Lancashire, with their ancestral home located in the village of Eccleston near Chorley. Several members of the family held important positions in the local government and church throughout the centuries.

One notable figure was Sir Henry Eccleston, who served as the Sheriff of Lancashire in the late 15th century. His son, also named Henry, was involved in the Wars of the Roses and fought alongside the Lancastrian forces at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

Another prominent Eccleston was Thomas Eccleston, a 13th-century Franciscan friar and historian. He wrote a chronicle of the early years of the Franciscan Order, providing valuable insights into the life and teachings of St. Francis of Assisi.

In the 17th century, the Ecclestons played a role in the English Civil War, with some members supporting the Royalist cause and others siding with the Parliamentarians. One such figure was Richard Eccleston, a Parliamentarian colonel who fought in several battles during the conflict.

The Eccleston surname also has connections to the village of Eccleston in Cheshire, which was once home to a branch of the family. This village was mentioned in the Domesday Book as "Eclestone," further cementing the name's historical roots.

Other notable individuals with the Eccleston surname include:

1. Christopher Eccleston (born 1964), an English actor known for his roles in films and television shows such as Doctor Who and The A Word.
2. Nirad C. Chaudhuri (1897-1999), an Indian writer and scholar born as Nirad Chandra Eccleston before changing his surname.
3. William Eccleston (1750-1809), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Wigan.
4. John Eccleston (1555-1616), an English Roman Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of King James I.
5. Thomas Eccleston (1802-1883), an English civil engineer and surveyor who worked on several railway projects in the 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Eccleston

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!