2000
#400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 72,328
First available Census row
Per 100,000 26.81
Uncommon Last name
Newton
An English toponymic surname derived from places meaning "new town" or "new farmstead."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 81,820 Americans carry the last name Newton. That puts it at #452 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 23.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,189 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Newton 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 Newton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
82K
1 in 4,189
Census rank
#452
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
23.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
71K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 71,351 bearers of the surname Newton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 23.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 452nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Newton, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Newton
The surname Newton is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "niwe" meaning new and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement, essentially describing a new town or village. This name likely originated in the 11th century during the Norman conquest of England.
The earliest recorded instances of the Newton surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners and settlements across England following the Norman conquest. Entries for places like Newton in Cheshire, Newton in Lancashire, and Newton in Yorkshire all appear in this historical record.
In the 12th century, the surname began appearing in official records, such as the Pipe Rolls of 1166 which listed a Richard de Neuton in Nottinghamshire. The spelling variations at the time included Neuton, Neweton, and Newetoun, reflecting the evolving nature of the name.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Newton surname was Sir John Newton, a 14th-century English landowner and knight who served as a Member of Parliament for Lancashire in 1322. Another notable figure was Thomas Newton (c.1542-1607), an English clergyman and writer who served as the Bishop of Bristol.
Isaac Newton (1642-1727), the renowned English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, and natural philosopher, is undoubtedly the most famous bearer of the Newton surname. His groundbreaking work on the laws of motion, universal gravitation, and the development of calculus has had a profound impact on scientific advancement.
Other notable individuals with the Newton surname include Alfred Newton (1829-1907), an English zoologist and ornithologist, and Huey P. Newton (1942-1989), the co-founder and leader of the Black Panther Party, a prominent African-American revolutionary socialist organization.
The Newton surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Newton Abbot in Devon, Newton-le-Willows in Merseyside, and Newton Aycliffe in County Durham, further emphasizing its deep roots in the country's history and geography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Newton
Among Census respondents with the surname Newton, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Newton 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 Newton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.5% · 51,698
- Black or African American18.0% · 12,825
- Two or more races4.5% · 3,208
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 2,580
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 568
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 472
Timeline
Historical Census data for Newton
Newton appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 74,092
+1,764 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 25.12
Rank movement Down 43 places
2020
#452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 71,351
-2,741 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 23.87
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #400 | 72,328 | 26.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #443 | 74,092 | 25.12 | +1,764 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 43 places |
| 2020 | #452 | 71,351 | 23.87 | -2,741 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 9 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 Newton 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 | #443 | #452 | -2.0% |
| Count | 74,092 | 71,351 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 25.12 | 23.87 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Newton bearers went from 74,092 to 71,351 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #443 to #452.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Newton
FAQ
Newton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Newton?
Name Census estimates that about 81,820 living Americans carry the surname Newton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,189 residents.
How common is Newton?
Newton ranks #452 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 23.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 24 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 71,351 people with the surname Newton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (81,820), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 23.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 23.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 24 of them to have the surname Newton.
Has Newton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Newton went from 74,092 recorded bearers to 71,351. That is a decrease of 2,741 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #443 to #452.
What does the Census say about the background of Newton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Newton, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Newton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.5% (51,698 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Newton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.5%), Black (18.0%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Newton (2000, 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 Newton mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from places meaning "new town" or "new farmstead." 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 Newton (23.87 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 are called Newton?
You can see how many people are called Newton on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.