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

Morton, 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 Morton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Morton in America

Morton is the 568th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Morton surname appeared 59,213 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 20 people would have the surname Morton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Morton 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 Morton

The surname Morton has its origins in England, deriving from the Old English words "mor" meaning "marsh" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "settlement". It is believed to have first emerged as a place name referring to a settlement near a marsh or swampy area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Morton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions several places with variations of the name, such as Mortone and Mortun. These entries suggest that the name was already well-established in various parts of England by the late 11th century.

In the 12th century, the surname Morton began to appear in historical records, with one of the earliest known bearers being Radulfus de Mortun, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1166. Other early examples include William de Morton, who was recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1199, and Ralph de Morton, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1227.

Throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance period, the Morton surname was associated with several prominent individuals. One notable figure was John Morton (c. 1420-1500), who served as Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor of England during the reign of King Henry VII. Another was Thomas Morton (c. 1564-1659), an English bishop and writer who played a significant role in the early settlement of New England.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Morton name continued to be well-represented in various fields. Peregrine Phillip Courtenay Morton (1793-1871) was a British politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies. James Douglas Morton (1819-1891) was a prominent Canadian businessman and politician who helped establish the city of Winnipeg.

Another notable bearer of the Morton surname was Samuel George Morton (1799-1851), an American physician and natural scientist who made significant contributions to the study of craniology and physical anthropology. His work, though influenced by the racial prejudices of his time, helped lay the foundation for the field of anthropology.

Throughout its history, the Morton surname has been associated with various place names and localities, including Morton in Derbyshire, Morton in Lincolnshire, and Morton in Nottinghamshire, among others. The name has also been subject to various spellings and variations, such as Merton, Morten, and Moreton.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Morton

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Morton, 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!