2000
#7,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,039
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.50
Rare Last name
Gorton
A locational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Gorton in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,416 Americans carry the last name Gorton. That puts it at #8,239 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,616 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gorton 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 Gorton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 77,616
Census rank
#8,239
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,851 bearers of the surname Gorton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8239th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorton, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gorton
The surname Gorton originated in England and is believed to have derived from the Old English words "gor" meaning muddy or dirty, and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement. It is thought to have been initially a place name for a settlement located in a muddy or marshy area.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gortune" in reference to a place in Cheshire, England. Other early spellings include "Gorton" and "Gortun".
In the 13th century, records show a William de Gorton who held lands in Lancashire, England. This is one of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Gorton.
The name Gorton is also associated with the town of Gorton, now a part of Manchester, England. This town likely derived its name from the same Old English roots as the surname.
One notable figure in history with the surname Gorton was Samuel Gorton (1592-1677), an English Protestant Christian settler and founder of the town of Warwick, Rhode Island. He was a prominent figure in the early colonial history of New England.
Another individual of historical significance was John Gorton (1835-1916), a Canadian politician who served as the 10th Prime Minister of Canada from 1868 to 1871.
In the literary world, Ida Gorton (1861-1944) was an English novelist and short story writer who published several works in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Sir Benjamin Gorton (1776-1855) was a British naval officer and explorer who made significant contributions to the mapping and exploration of the Arctic regions in the early 19th century.
Finally, John Gorton (1911-2002) was an Australian politician who served as the 19th Prime Minister of Australia from 1968 to 1971, leading the country during a pivotal period in its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gorton
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorton, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gorton 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 Gorton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 3,527
- Two or more races3.1% · 119
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 113
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 42
- Black or African American0.7% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gorton
Gorton 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
#8,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,110
+71 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 468 places
2020
#8,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,851
-259 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 179 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,592 | 4,039 | 1.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,060 | 4,110 | 1.39 | +71 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 468 places |
| 2020 | #8,239 | 3,851 | 1.29 | -259 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 179 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 Gorton 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 | #8,060 | #8,239 | -2.2% |
| Count | 4,110 | 3,851 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.29 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gorton bearers went from 4,110 to 3,851 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 179 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,060 to #8,239.
FAQ
Gorton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gorton?
Name Census estimates that about 4,416 living Americans carry the surname Gorton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,616 residents.
How common is Gorton?
Gorton ranks #8,239 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 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 3,851 people with the surname Gorton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,416), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 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 Gorton.
Has Gorton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gorton went from 4,110 recorded bearers to 3,851. That is a decrease of 259 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,060 to #8,239.
What does the Census say about the background of Gorton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorton, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Gorton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (3,527 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gorton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Gorton (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 Gorton mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Gorton in England. 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 Gorton (1.29 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 Gorton?
See how many Americans have the surname Gorton on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.