2000
#12,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,288
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Northington
Derived from a place name meaning "northern homestead" or "settlement north of a village" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,393 Americans carry the last name Northington. That puts it at #13,866 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 143,232 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Northington 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 Northington with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 143,232
Census rank
#13,866
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,087 bearers of the surname Northington in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13866th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Northington, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.4%. The next largest groups are Black (43.4%) and Two or More Races (6.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Northington
The surname Northington has its origins in England, specifically in the county of Hampshire. It is derived from the Old English words "north" and "tun," which together mean "north town" or "northern farm." This suggests that the name was originally a locational surname, given to someone who lived in a northern settlement or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Northington can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Northantone," which is believed to be a reference to the village of Northington in Hampshire.
In the 13th century, the name was often spelled as "Northyngtone" or "Northyntone," reflecting the variations in spelling that were common during that time period. By the 16th century, the spelling had evolved closer to its modern form, with records showing individuals named "Northington" or "Northyngton."
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Northington was Sir John Northington (c. 1470 - 1537), who served as a member of parliament and held various positions in the court of King Henry VIII. Another notable figure was Sir William Northington (1536 - 1608), who was a prominent lawyer and served as a judge on the Court of Common Pleas.
In the 17th century, Robert Northington (1608 - 1676) was a prominent English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield. His son, Robert Henley-Ongley, later changed his surname to Northington and became the Earl of Northington (1708 - 1786), serving as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain from 1767 to 1777.
More recently, Sir John Northington (1891 - 1976) was a British lawyer and judge who served as Lord Justice of Appeal from 1951 to 1961. His grandson, Christopher Northington (born 1941), is a contemporary British author and journalist.
Throughout its history, the surname Northington has been associated with various place names and locations in Hampshire, such as the villages of Northington and Northington Down, as well as the former Northington Manor and Northington Park. These place names further reinforce the locational origins of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Northington
Among Census respondents with the surname Northington, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.4%. The next largest groups are Black (43.4%) and Two or More Races (6.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Northington 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 Northington surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.4% · 990
- Black or African American43.4% · 906
- Two or more races6.2% · 130
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Northington
Northington 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
#13,509
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,245
-43 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 1,066 places
2020
#13,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,087
-158 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 357 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,443 | 2,288 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,509 | 2,245 | 0.76 | -43 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 1,066 places |
| 2020 | #13,866 | 2,087 | 0.70 | -158 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 357 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 Northington 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 | #13,509 | #13,866 | -2.6% |
| Count | 2,245 | 2,087 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.70 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Northington bearers went from 2,245 to 2,087 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 357 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,509 to #13,866.
FAQ
Northington surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Northington?
Name Census estimates that about 2,393 living Americans carry the surname Northington. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 143,232 residents.
How common is Northington?
Northington ranks #13,866 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,087 people with the surname Northington. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,393), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Northington.
Has Northington become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Northington went from 2,245 recorded bearers to 2,087. That is a decrease of 158 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,509 to #13,866.
What does the Census say about the background of Northington?
Among Census respondents with the surname Northington, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.4%. The next largest groups are Black (43.4%) and Two or More Races (6.2%). 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 Northington in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.4% (990 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Northington appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (47.4%), Black (43.4%), Two or More Races (6.2%). 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 Northington (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 Northington mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "northern homestead" or "settlement north of a village" in Old English. 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 Northington (0.70 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 Americans have the surname Northington?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.