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

Egerton, 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 Egerton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Egerton in America

Egerton is the 25486th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Egerton surname appeared 970 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 Egerton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Egerton 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 Egerton

The surname Egerton is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is a habitation name derived from the town of Egerton in Cheshire, England. The town's name is composed of the Old English elements "aec" meaning oak and "tun" meaning farm or settlement, suggesting that it was originally an oak-tree settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as "Echereton". This entry refers to a place in Cheshire, which is likely the origin of the modern town and surname.

In the 13th century, the name appeared as "de Eggerton" in various records, indicating that it was used as a surname by individuals hailing from Egerton. Over time, the spelling evolved to its current form, Egerton.

One notable early bearer of the name was Sir Thomas Egerton (1540-1617), who served as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal under Queen Elizabeth I and King James I. He was also a prominent lawyer and held the position of Lord Chancellor of England from 1603 until his death.

Another significant figure was John Egerton, 2nd Earl of Bridgewater (1579-1649), a prominent English nobleman and patron of the arts. He was known for commissioning the Bridgewater Canal, one of the earliest industrial canals in England.

In the 18th century, Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater (1736-1803), was a pioneering industrialist and landowner. He is credited with revolutionizing inland transportation through his extensive system of canals, known as the Bridgewater Canal network.

The Egerton family also had a strong presence in the literary world. Thomas Egerton (1545-1616) was a prominent printer and publisher in London, responsible for publishing works by renowned authors like William Shakespeare and Edmund Spenser.

Another notable figure was Michael Egerton (1635-1692), a British theologian and author who served as the Bishop of Hereford. He was known for his controversial writings on religious topics and his involvement in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

These are just a few examples of the many individuals who have borne the surname Egerton throughout history, reflecting its long-standing presence and significance in various fields, particularly in England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Egerton

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

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

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

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