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

Naughton, 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 Naughton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Naughton in America

Naughton is the 6448th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Naughton surname appeared 5,264 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Naughton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Naughton 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 Naughton

The surname Naughton originates from Ireland, tracing its roots back to the Irish Gaelic O'Nachtain, a patronymic name derived from the personal name Nachtan. This name is believed to have evolved from the Old Irish word "nocht," meaning "poor" or "naked," and was likely given as a descriptive nickname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Naughton can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a chieftain named O'Nachtain who ruled over a territory in County Roscommon during the 12th century.

The Naughton surname is predominantly associated with counties Roscommon, Galway, and Mayo in the western province of Connacht. Historical records indicate that the family held lands in these regions and played a significant role in local affairs throughout the Middle Ages.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, as English rule solidified in Ireland, many Irish surnames underwent anglicization. The Gaelic O'Nachtain was anglicized to various spellings, including Naughton, Naghten, and Noughton, with Naughton becoming the most common form.

One notable figure bearing the Naughton surname was Sir John Naughten (1611-1683), an Irish lawyer and judge who served as the Lord Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer. Another prominent individual was John Naughton (1793-1859), an Irish politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the County Mayo constituency.

In the 19th century, Anne Naughton (1815-1892), an Irish entrepreneur and philanthropist, gained recognition for her successful business ventures and charitable work in Dublin. She founded the Naughton Institute, a school for the education of poor children.

Across the Atlantic, John Naughton (1820-1898), an Irish-American politician, served as a U.S. Representative from Minnesota in the late 19th century.

More recently, the Naughton name has been carried by notable individuals such as John Naughton (born 1945), a British author and academic who has written extensively on the history and impact of the internet and digital technologies.

While the Naughton surname has its roots firmly planted in Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through Irish diaspora communities. However, its origins can be traced back to the ancient Gaelic personal name Nachtan and its associations with the western Irish counties of Roscommon, Galway, and Mayo.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Naughton

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

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

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