Magilton last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Magilton is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Magilton.

Meaning of Magilton

A surname of English locational origin pertaining to a place known as Magilton.

Magilton, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Magilton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Magilton in America

Magilton is the 138304th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Magilton surname appeared 121 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Magilton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Magilton to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 138304 136783 1.11%
Count 121 113 6.84%
Proportion per 100k 0.04 0.04 0.00%

The history of the last name Magilton

The surname MAGILTON is of Anglo-Saxon origin, with its roots traceable to England during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from a place name, likely a settlement or village where the earliest bearers of the name resided. The prefix "Magil" may be an anglicized version of the Old English word "maegel," meaning "power" or "strength," suggesting that the name could have been associated with a powerful or influential individual or family.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the MAGILTON surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror. This historical document mentions a landowner named Magiltun in the county of Lincolnshire, which may have served as the basis for the modern-day spelling of the surname.

During the 13th century, a record from the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire mentions a William de Magilton, indicating that the name had spread to various regions of England by that time. The prefix "de" in this case signifies a connection to a specific place, further reinforcing the theory that MAGILTON originated as a locational surname.

In the 14th century, a notable bearer of the MAGILTON surname was Sir John Magilton, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War against France. He was born around 1310 and is mentioned in various chronicles and military records from that period.

The 16th century saw the rise of another prominent figure bearing the MAGILTON name: William Magilton, a renowned scholar and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Oxford. He was born in 1520 and is known for his contributions to the study of ancient Greek texts and his writings on religious matters.

In the 17th century, the MAGILTON surname gained further recognition through the work of Robert Magilton, a skilled architect and builder who was involved in the construction of several notable churches and public buildings in London. He was born in 1625 and left a lasting legacy in the city's architectural landscape.

Throughout the centuries, the MAGILTON surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Magelton, Magilton, Magiltun, and Magylton, reflecting the evolving nature of language and regional differences in pronunciation and record-keeping.

While the MAGILTON surname is not as widespread as some other English surnames, it has maintained a presence throughout the country's history, with bearers contributing to various fields and leaving their mark on the cultural and social fabric of the nation.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Magilton

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Magilton.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Magilton was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.21% 114
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.00% 0
Hispanic Origin 5.79% 7

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Magilton has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.21% 98.23% -4.18%
Black 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Hispanic 5.79% (S)% (S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Magilton was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Magilton, please contact us.

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"Magilton last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on September 4, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/magilton-surname-popularity/.

"Magilton last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/magilton-surname-popularity/. Accessed 4 September, 2025

Magilton last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/magilton-surname-popularity/.

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