2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Lighton
An English surname derived from a location name incorporating the elements "light" or "ton".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Lighton. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lighton 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 Lighton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Lighton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lighton, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lighton
The surname Lighton is believed to have originated in England, likely in the 14th or 15th century. It is thought to be a locational name derived from a place name that incorporated the Old English words "leoh" meaning a wood, grove or clearing, and "tun" meaning a farm, village or settlement. This suggests the name may have originated from a place that was situated near a woodland area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lighton surname can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, which mention a John de Lython. The variations in spelling, such as "Lython" and "Lighton," were common in earlier times when standardized spellings were not yet established.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Gloucester, where a Richard Lighton was recorded in 1592. This record provides evidence of the surname's presence in the Gloucestershire area during the late 1500s.
A notable early bearer of the Lighton surname was William Lighton (c. 1615-1676), an English clergyman and academic who served as the President of St John's College, Oxford, from 1670 until his death. He was born in Gloucestershire and played a significant role in the university's administration during his tenure.
Another individual of historical significance was John Lighton (1781-1851), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. He participated in several notable battles, including the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and rose to the rank of Captain.
In the literary world, Elizabeth Lighton (1865-1944) was a notable English novelist and short story writer. She was born in Staffordshire and published several works, including the novels "The Daughter of the Manor" and "The Golden Robe."
The Lighton surname can also be found in various historical records from different regions of England, such as parish registers, tax records, and land ownership documents, suggesting its presence across various parts of the country throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lighton
Among Census respondents with the surname Lighton, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lighton 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 Lighton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 100
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lighton
Lighton 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-21 bearers (-15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,266 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,445 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,954 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-15.6%) | Down 26,266 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 3,445 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 Lighton 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 | #145,220 | #148,665 | -2.4% |
| Count | 114 | 111 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lighton bearers went from 114 to 111 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 3,445 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #148,665.
FAQ
Lighton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lighton?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Lighton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Lighton?
Lighton ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Lighton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Lighton.
Has Lighton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lighton went from 114 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Lighton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lighton, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). 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 Lighton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lighton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). 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 Lighton (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 Lighton mean?
An English surname derived from a location name incorporating the elements "light" or "ton". 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 Lighton (0.04 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 last name Lighton?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Lighton? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.