2000
#8,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,370
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.25
Rare Last name
Garton
Derived from a place name meaning "enclosure or farm on rough ground" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,517 Americans carry the last name Garton. That puts it at #10,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,456 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garton surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Garton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,456
Census rank
#10,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,067 bearers of the surname Garton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garton, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garton
The surname Garton is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval era. It is a locational name, derived from the place name "Garton-on-the-Wolds" in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The place name itself is believed to have originated from the Old English words "gara" meaning "a triangular piece of land" and "tun" meaning "an enclosure or settlement."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gartone." This reference suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 11th century.
During the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, including "de Gartone" and "Gartun," reflecting the evolution of its spelling over time. Notable individuals bearing this surname from this period include William de Gartone, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire in 1260.
In the 14th century, the spelling "Garton" became more prevalent, as evidenced by records such as the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, which listed individuals like Johannes Garton and Willelmus Garton.
As the surname spread beyond its place of origin, it also became associated with other locations, such as Garton-on-the-Wolds in Lincolnshire and Garton in Teesdale, County Durham. This led to variations like "Garton-on-the-Wolds" and "Garton-in-Teesdale" being used to distinguish between different branches of the family.
One notable figure bearing the Garton surname was Sir Nathaniel Garton (1581-1641), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament for Thetford in the early 17th century. Another prominent individual was John Garton (1682-1758), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
In the 18th century, the Garton family continued to play a role in various fields, with individuals like Samuel Garton (1741-1820), a respected Baptist minister and author, and William Garton (1764-1842), a successful businessman and philanthropist in Leeds.
As the centuries passed, the Garton surname spread to different parts of the world, carried by those who emigrated from England. However, its origins can be traced back to the small village of Garton-on-the-Wolds in Yorkshire, where the name first took root many centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garton
Among Census respondents with the surname Garton, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Garton bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Garton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 2,772
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 147
- Two or more races3.3% · 101
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 20
- Black or African American0.5% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garton
Garton appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,425
+55 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 567 places
2020
#10,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,067
-358 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 535 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,926 | 3,370 | 1.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,493 | 3,425 | 1.16 | +55 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 567 places |
| 2020 | #10,028 | 3,067 | 1.03 | -358 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 535 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Garton surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,493 | #10,028 | -5.6% |
| Count | 3,425 | 3,067 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.03 | -11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garton bearers went from 3,425 to 3,067 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 535 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,493 to #10,028.
FAQ
Garton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garton?
Name Census estimates that about 3,517 living Americans carry the surname Garton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,456 residents.
How common is Garton?
Garton ranks #10,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,067 people with the surname Garton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,517), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Garton.
Has Garton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garton went from 3,425 recorded bearers to 3,067. That is a decrease of 358 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,493 to #10,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Garton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garton, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Garton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (2,772 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (3.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Garton (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Garton mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "enclosure or farm on rough ground" in Old English. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Garton (1.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Garton?
See how common the surname Garton is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.