2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ooton
A spelling variant of the English surname Otton or Oaten, meaning someone who came from a family or place with that name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Ooton. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ooton 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.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Ooton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ooton, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ooton
The surname Ooton is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name that would have been spelled similarly in Old English or Anglo-Norman French. Many English surnames of this type emerged after the Norman Conquest of 1066, when the ruling classes adopted hereditary surnames.
One possible origin is the Old English words "ofer" meaning "ridge" or "bank" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "settlement". This suggests the name may have referred to someone who lived near a ridged or raised settlement. However, the exact etymology is uncertain due to the rarity of the name and lack of early recorded instances.
The earliest known recorded example of the surname Ooton dates back to the late 13th century. In 1296, a John de Otton is mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire. This spelling variation points to a potential connection with the northern English county.
In the 15th century, a Thomas Ooton is listed in records from the parish of Hartfield in Sussex, southern England. This indicates the name had spread to other regions by that time. The Sussex connection is further reinforced by references to an Ooton family residing in the village of Mayfield near Hartfield in the 16th century.
Notable individuals with the surname Ooton throughout history include:
1. William Ooton (c.1520-1587), a wealthy landowner and member of the gentry class from Mayfield, Sussex.
2. Reverend John Ooton (1678-1741), an Anglican clergyman who served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.
3. Samuel Ooton (1727-1804), a renowned clockmaker and inventor from Yorkshire who patented an improved escapement mechanism for clocks.
4. Mary Ooton (1789-1863), a philanthropist and champion of education for the poor in her native Northamptonshire.
5. Alfred Ooton (1845-1923), a British explorer and naturalist who led several expeditions to the Amazon basin in South America.
While the name Ooton is quite uncommon today, its historical trail spans several centuries and regions of England. The name's evolution and dispersal across the country likely reflect the movements and fortunes of its early bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ooton
Among Census respondents with the surname Ooton, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ooton 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 Ooton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 111
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ooton
Ooton 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,220 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+4 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,100 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,220 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.4%) | Up 1,100 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 Ooton 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 | #143,149 | #142,049 | 0.8% |
| Count | 116 | 120 | 3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ooton bearers went from 116 to 120 (+3.4% change). The surname moved up 1,100 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #142,049.
FAQ
Ooton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ooton?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Ooton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Ooton?
Ooton ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Ooton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ooton.
Has Ooton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ooton went from 116 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 4 (+3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #143,149 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Ooton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ooton, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Ooton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ooton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Black (1.7%). 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 Ooton (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 Ooton mean?
A spelling variant of the English surname Otton or Oaten, meaning someone who came from a family or place with that name. 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 Ooton (0.04 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 common is the surname Ooton?
See how many people are called Ooton on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.