2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Magilton
A surname of English locational origin pertaining to a place known as Magilton.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Magilton. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Magilton 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.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Magilton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Magilton, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 This historical document mentions a landowner named Magiltun in the county of Lincolnshire, which may have served as the basis for the modern-day spelling of the surname.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Magilton
Among Census respondents with the surname Magilton, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Magilton 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 Magilton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino8.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Magilton
Magilton 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+8 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,521 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,207 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 1,521 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 5,207 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 Magilton 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 | #138,304 | #143,511 | -3.8% |
| Count | 121 | 118 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Magilton bearers went from 121 to 118 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 5,207 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #143,511.
FAQ
Magilton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Magilton?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Magilton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Magilton?
Magilton ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Magilton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Magilton.
Has Magilton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Magilton went from 121 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Magilton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Magilton, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%). 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 Magilton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Magilton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (8.5%). 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 Magilton (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 Magilton mean?
A surname of English locational origin pertaining to a place known as Magilton. 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 Magilton (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 Magilton?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Magilton on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.