2000
#2,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,292
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.19
Uncommon Last name
Hatton
English locational surname derived from any of the places called Hatton, meaning "settlement on the heath."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,848 Americans carry the last name Hatton. That puts it at #3,137 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,678 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hatton 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 Hatton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,678
Census rank
#3,137
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,204 bearers of the surname Hatton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3137th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hatton, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hatton
The surname Hatton traces its origins to England, where it first emerged during the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from one of several places in England called Hatton, such as the villages in Cheshire, Lincolnshire, and Warwickshire. These place names are thought to have their roots in the Old English words "hæt" (hat) and "tun" (enclosure or settlement), possibly referring to a settlement where hats were made or sold.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hatton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hattune" in reference to a place in Warwickshire. The surname itself is believed to have emerged soon after, as people began adopting locational surnames based on the places they were from.
Notable individuals with the surname Hatton include Sir Christopher Hatton (1540-1591), an English politician and Lord Chancellor under Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was John Lancelot Hatton (1699-1783), an English diplomat and Member of Parliament.
In the 17th century, George Hatton (1610-1668) was a English-born merchant and pioneer settler in Virginia, playing a significant role in the early history of the American colonies.
The 19th century saw the rise of Henry Hatton (1824-1890), an English cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire and was known for his exceptional batting skills.
More recently, Sir Christopher Hatton (1905-1965) was a British Conservative politician and Secretary of State for Air during World War II.
Throughout its long history, the surname Hatton has been subject to various spellings, such as Hatton, Hatterne, Hatton, and Hattune, reflecting the differences in regional dialects and scribal practices of the time. Despite these variations, the name has maintained its distinct English origins and continues to be associated with its locational roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hatton
Among Census respondents with the surname Hatton, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Hatton 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 Hatton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.6% · 8,807
- Black or African American12.4% · 1,389
- Two or more races4.3% · 486
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 333
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 133
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 56
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hatton
Hatton 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
#2,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,090
+798 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 4.10
Rank movement Down 40 places
2020
#3,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,204
-886 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 3.75
Rank movement Down 171 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,926 | 11,292 | 4.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,966 | 12,090 | 4.10 | +798 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 40 places |
| 2020 | #3,137 | 11,204 | 3.75 | -886 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 171 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 Hatton 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 | #2,966 | #3,137 | -5.8% |
| Count | 12,090 | 11,204 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.10 | 3.75 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hatton bearers went from 12,090 to 11,204 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 171 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,966 to #3,137.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hatton
FAQ
Hatton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hatton?
Name Census estimates that about 12,848 living Americans carry the surname Hatton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,678 residents.
How common is Hatton?
Hatton ranks #3,137 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,204 people with the surname Hatton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,848), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Hatton.
Has Hatton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hatton went from 12,090 recorded bearers to 11,204. That is a decrease of 886 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,966 to #3,137.
What does the Census say about the background of Hatton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hatton, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Hatton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.6% (8,807 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hatton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.6%), Black (12.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Hatton (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 Hatton mean?
English locational surname derived from any of the places called Hatton, meaning "settlement on the heath." 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 Hatton (3.75 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 share the surname Hatton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.