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

Milton, 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 Milton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Milton in America

Milton is the 1732nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Milton surname appeared 20,703 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Milton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Milton 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 Milton

The surname Milton originated in England in the late Anglo-Saxon period, around the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "mill" and "tun," meaning a settlement near a mill. The name was initially used to identify someone who lived or worked near a mill.

The earliest known record of the surname Milton is found in the Domesday Book, a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions several individuals with the surname Milton or similar spellings, such as Mildeltune and Mildetone, living in various parts of the country.

During the Middle Ages, the name Milton appeared in various historical documents and records, including the Pipe Rolls, which were records of financial transactions maintained by the English Exchequer. One notable example is Walter de Milton, who lived in the 13th century and served as a judge and legal advisor to King Henry III.

As time passed, the name Milton spread to different regions of England, and various spellings emerged, such as Mylton, Miltown, and Milltown. These variations often reflected local dialects and pronunciation differences.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Milton was the English poet John Milton (1608-1674), renowned for his epic poem "Paradise Lost." Other notable figures include Sir Christopher Milton (1615-1692), a judge and politician, and Joseph Milton (1558-1647), a religious writer and clergyman.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Milton was also associated with several prominent families in England, including the Miltons of Oxfordshire and the Miltons of Staffordshire. Some of these families held significant landholdings and played influential roles in their respective communities.

Another notable bearer of the name Milton was Thomas Milton (1590-1677), a Puritan settler in colonial America. He was among the early English colonists who arrived in Massachusetts in the 1630s and helped establish the town of Milton, which was likely named after him or his family.

Throughout history, the surname Milton has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including writers, politicians, lawyers, clergymen, and landowners. While its origins can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon period, the name has evolved and spread across different regions, reflecting the rich tapestry of English history and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Milton

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!