2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Margetson
A locational surname referring to someone from a place called Margets or Margett.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Margetson. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Margetson 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 Margetson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Margetson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Margetson, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Margetson
The surname Margetson originated in England, specifically in the counties of Derbyshire and Staffordshire, during the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "mærge," meaning boundary or border, and "tun," meaning a town or settlement. This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a boundary or border of a town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Margetson can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Derbyshire from 1327, where it is spelled as "Mergetson." This indicates that the name was already in use during the 14th century. Another early reference is in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1383, where the name is recorded as "Margetteson."
The Margetson surname is not listed in the Domesday Book, as it likely emerged after the Norman Conquest of 1066. However, the name is closely associated with the village of Margeston, which is located in Derbyshire and was recorded as "Mergedene" in the 13th century.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Margetson was John Margetson, who was born in Derbyshire around 1550. He was a prominent landowner and served as a member of the English Parliament in the late 16th century.
Another notable figure was Thomas Margetson (1592-1677), who was an English clergyman and academic. He served as the Archdeacon of Huntingdon and was a noted theologian and author of several religious works.
In the 17th century, James Margetson (1617-1686) was a distinguished English lawyer and judge. He served as the Chief Justice of the Carmarthen Circuit in Wales and was known for his expertise in legal matters.
During the 18th century, William Margetson (1730-1805) was a successful merchant and landowner in Yorkshire. He was involved in the wool trade and owned several estates in the region.
In the 19th century, John Margetson (1823-1897) was a prominent industrialist and businessman from Lancashire. He founded the Margetson & Company textile company, which became one of the leading manufacturers of high-quality fabrics in England.
These individuals and their contributions exemplify the historical significance and longevity of the Margetson surname, which can be traced back to the medieval period in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Margetson
Among Census respondents with the surname Margetson, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Margetson 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 Margetson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.5% · 79
- Black or African American23.9% · 28
- Two or more races5.1% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Margetson
Margetson appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+6 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,077 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.4%) | Up 4,077 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 Margetson 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 | #148,347 | #144,270 | 2.7% |
| Count | 111 | 117 | 5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Margetson bearers went from 111 to 117 (+5.4% change). The surname moved up 4,077 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #144,270.
FAQ
Margetson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Margetson?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Margetson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Margetson?
Margetson ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Margetson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Margetson.
Has Margetson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Margetson went from 111 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 6 (+5.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Margetson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Margetson, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Margetson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.5% (79 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Margetson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.5%), Black (23.9%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Margetson (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 Margetson mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a place called Margets or Margett. 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 Margetson (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 surname Margetson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.