2000
#11,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,408
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Kelton
From an English place name meaning "town on the River Kell," or possibly derived from an Old English word meaning "kilntown."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,743 Americans carry the last name Kelton. That puts it at #12,399 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,956 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kelton 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 Kelton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 124,956
Census rank
#12,399
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,392 bearers of the surname Kelton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12399th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelton, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kelton
The surname Kelton originated in Scotland, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "cald" and "tun," which together mean "cold farm" or "cold settlement." This likely referred to the location of a dwelling in a particularly cold or exposed area.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Kelton can be found in the Scottish Borders region, where several towns and villages bear this name or variations of it, such as Kelton Hill and Keltonhill. The name is also closely associated with the ancient parish of Kelton, located in what is now Dumfries and Galloway.
In the 13th century, a charter issued by King Alexander II of Scotland mentions a "William de Keltone," indicating the presence of the Kelton surname in the region during that time. This early reference suggests that the name had already been established as a distinct family name by the 13th century.
One notable bearer of the Kelton name was Sir John Kelton, a Scottish knight who served under King Robert the Bruce in the early 14th century. Sir John was present at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, where the Scots achieved a decisive victory over the English.
Another historically significant figure was William Kelton, a 16th-century Scottish clergyman who served as the Bishop of Argyll and the Isles from 1560 to 1568. He played a role in the Scottish Reformation and the establishment of Protestantism in Scotland.
In the 17th century, the Kelton surname can be found in various records and documents, including the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland. One entry from 1628 mentions a "John Keltoun," who was involved in a legal dispute over land ownership.
The 18th century saw the rise of a prominent Kelton family in the Scottish Borders region. James Kelton, born in 1726, was a successful merchant and landowner, and his descendants continued to play influential roles in the local community for generations.
As the surname spread beyond its Scottish origins, it also appeared in other parts of the British Isles and, later, in North America and other parts of the world. Some notable bearers of the Kelton name include John Kelton, an English actor and playwright in the 19th century, and Elmer Kelton, an American novelist and historian known for his Western fiction, born in 1926.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kelton
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelton, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kelton 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 Kelton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.6% · 1,904
- Black or African American9.9% · 237
- Two or more races5.0% · 120
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 93
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kelton
Kelton 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
#11,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,717
+309 bearers (+12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 331 places
2020
#12,399
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,392
-325 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 827 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,903 | 2,408 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,572 | 2,717 | 0.92 | +309 bearers (+12.8%) | Up 331 places |
| 2020 | #12,399 | 2,392 | 0.80 | -325 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 827 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 Kelton 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 | #11,572 | #12,399 | -7.1% |
| Count | 2,717 | 2,392 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.80 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kelton bearers went from 2,717 to 2,392 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 827 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,572 to #12,399.
FAQ
Kelton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kelton?
Name Census estimates that about 2,743 living Americans carry the surname Kelton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,956 residents.
How common is Kelton?
Kelton ranks #12,399 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,392 people with the surname Kelton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,743), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Kelton.
Has Kelton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kelton went from 2,717 recorded bearers to 2,392. That is a decrease of 325 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,572 to #12,399.
What does the Census say about the background of Kelton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kelton, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Kelton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.6% (1,904 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kelton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.6%), Black (9.9%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Kelton (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 Kelton mean?
From an English place name meaning "town on the River Kell," or possibly derived from an Old English word meaning "kilntown." 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 Kelton (0.80 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 Kelton?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Kelton? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.