2000
#6,550
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,771
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.77
Rare Last name
Knighton
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the various places called Knighton in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,878 Americans carry the last name Knighton. That puts it at #6,380 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,311 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knighton 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 Knighton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 58,311
Census rank
#6,380
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,126 bearers of the surname Knighton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6380th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knighton, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knighton
The surname Knighton is an English locational name that originated in the county of Staffordshire. It is derived from the Old English words "cniht" meaning knight and "tun" meaning settlement or enclosure, denoting a place where knights lived or assembled.
Knighton was first recorded as a place name in the Domesday Book of 1086, appearing as "Cnihtetone" in the county of Staffordshire. This suggests that the surname Knighton emerged from this area and time period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Knighton is found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a John de Knighton is listed as residing in Staffordshire. The "de" prefix indicates that he was from the place called Knighton.
In the 14th century, a prominent figure named Henry Knighton (c. 1320-1396) was a canon and historian at the Abbey of St. Mary's in Leicester. He is best known for his chronicle "Chronicon Henrici Knighton," which provides valuable insights into the events of his time, including the Peasants' Revolt of 1381.
Another notable bearer of the Knighton surname was Sir William Knighton (1776-1836), a British physician and confidant of King George IV. He served as the King's Private Secretary and was instrumental in managing the monarch's personal affairs.
In the literary world, Joseph Knighton (1778-1838) was an English poet and clergyman from Warwickshire. He published several volumes of poetry, including "The Prospect, and Other Poems" in 1799.
The surname Knighton has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Knighton in Radnorshire, Wales, and Knighton in Leicestershire, both of which likely derived their names from the Old English words mentioned earlier.
While the surname Knighton has its roots in medieval England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by descendants of its early bearers. However, its origins remain firmly grounded in the historic counties of Staffordshire and the surrounding areas of central England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knighton
Among Census respondents with the surname Knighton, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Knighton 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 Knighton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.5% · 3,001
- Black or African American32.3% · 1,654
- Two or more races4.8% · 248
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 186
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knighton
Knighton 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
#6,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,139
+368 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Down 41 places
2020
#6,380
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,126
-13 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Up 211 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,550 | 4,771 | 1.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,591 | 5,139 | 1.74 | +368 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 41 places |
| 2020 | #6,380 | 5,126 | 1.71 | -13 bearers (-0.3%) | Up 211 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 Knighton 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 | #6,591 | #6,380 | 3.2% |
| Count | 5,139 | 5,126 | -0.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.74 | 1.71 | -1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knighton bearers went from 5,139 to 5,126 (-0.3% change). The surname moved up 211 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,591 to #6,380.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Knighton
FAQ
Knighton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knighton?
Name Census estimates that about 5,878 living Americans carry the surname Knighton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,311 residents.
How common is Knighton?
Knighton ranks #6,380 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,126 people with the surname Knighton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,878), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Knighton.
Has Knighton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knighton went from 5,139 recorded bearers to 5,126. That is a decrease of 13 (-0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,591 to #6,380.
What does the Census say about the background of Knighton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knighton, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Knighton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.5% (3,001 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knighton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.5%), Black (32.3%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Knighton (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 Knighton mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the various places called Knighton 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 Knighton (1.71 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 have the surname Knighton?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.