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

Middleton, 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 Middleton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Middleton in America

Middleton is the 813th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Middleton surname appeared 42,578 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 14 people would have the surname Middleton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Middleton 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.

The history of the last name Middleton

The surname Middleton originated in England and has its roots in the Old English words 'middel' meaning middle and 'tun' meaning a farm or settlement. It was a locational name given to families who lived in or near the middle town or village.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Middleton surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Mideltun' and 'Midelton'. This suggests that the name was already well-established by the late 11th century.

In the 12th century, the name was recorded as 'Middeltun' in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1195. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 listed a William de Middelton in Cambridgeshire, indicating the surname's spread across various regions of England.

The Middleton surname is also linked to several place names across England, including Middleton in Northamptonshire, Middleton in Warwickshire, and Middleton in Lancashire. These locations likely played a role in the dissemination of the surname.

Notable individuals with the surname Middleton throughout history include Sir Hugh Middleton (c. 1555-1631), an English businessman and engineer best known for overseeing the construction of the New River, a man-made waterway that supplied fresh water to London. Thomas Middleton (c. 1580-1627) was a prominent English Jacobean playwright and poet, while Thomas Fanshaw Middleton (1769-1822) was a celebrated English bishop and author.

Other notable Middletons include Sir Charles Middleton (1726-1813), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars, and Albert Middleton (1885-1960), an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire and England in the early 20th century.

The Middleton surname has remained prevalent throughout the centuries, appearing in various historical records and contributing to the rich tapestry of English history and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Middleton

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

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 Middleton was:

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 Middleton has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Middleton was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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