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

Georgetown, 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 Georgetown surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Georgetown in America

Georgetown is the 118185th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Georgetown surname appeared 147 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 Georgetown.

We can also compare 2010 data for Georgetown 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 Georgetown

The surname Georgetown is of English origin, emerging in the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the place name Georgetown, referring to a town or village near a church or religious institution. The name itself is a combination of the elements "George" and "town," with the former being an English form of the Greek name Georgios, meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Georgetown can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a person named William de Georgetown is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 13th century. The prefix "de" indicates a locative surname, denoting that the person hailed from a place called Georgetown.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, such as Georgeton, Georgetoun, and Georgeton, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation during that era. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 record a John de Georgeton from Gloucestershire, while the Poll Tax returns of 1379 list a Thomas Georgeton from Yorkshire.

One notable bearer of the surname Georgetown was Sir John Georgetown (c. 1480-1554), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the reign of Henry VIII. He was known for his involvement in the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the acquisition of monastic lands.

Another historically significant figure was Richard Georgetown (1567-1633), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Provost of King's College, Cambridge, from 1609 until his death. He was a renowned scholar and theologian of his time.

In the 17th century, records show the name appearing in various parts of England, including London, where a William Georgetown is documented in the Parish Registers of St. Dunstan's in the West in 1642.

In the 18th century, the surname Georgetown is associated with George Georgetown (1716-1798), a wealthy merchant and politician from Northamptonshire. He served as the High Sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1768 and was a member of the influential Georgetown family of that county.

It is worth noting that the surname Georgetown is also closely linked to the place name Georgetown, the capital city of Guyana, which was founded in the late 18th century and named after Britain's King George III. However, the historical connection between the surname and the place name remains uncertain.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Georgetown

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

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

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

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