2000
#10,375
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,846
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Paton
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a gardener or tender of grapevines.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,197 Americans carry the last name Paton. That puts it at #10,915 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,211 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paton 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 Paton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 107,211
Census rank
#10,915
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,788 bearers of the surname Paton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10915th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paton, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paton
The surname PATON has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Anglo-Saxon words "pæd" and "tun," which together mean "path town" or "village by the path." This suggests that the name may have originated as a place name, referring to a settlement located along a well-traveled path or road.
In some early Scottish records, the name is also spelled as PATTON, PATTEN, or PATIN, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling that were common during that time period. The earliest known reference to the name PATON can be found in the Scottish clan records from the late 16th century, where it is mentioned in connection with the Borders region of Scotland.
One notable figure bearing this surname was John Paton, a Scottish missionary and missionary pioneer who lived from 1824 to 1907. He is renowned for his work in establishing Christian missions in the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) and for his efforts in promoting the protection of indigenous peoples in the South Pacific.
Another individual of historical significance is Mary Ann Paton, a Scottish artist and illustrator who lived from 1819 to 1864. She is best known for her illustrations in various children's books, including a famous edition of "The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen."
In the literary world, Walter Paton was a Scottish writer and poet who lived from 1828 to 1869. He is remembered for his collection of poems titled "Poems by a Painter," which was published posthumously in 1870.
James Paton, born in 1743 and died in 1806, was a Scottish architect who made significant contributions to the Georgian architectural style in Scotland. Some of his notable works include the Melville Monument in Edinburgh and the Glasgow Assembly Rooms.
Lastly, Sir Joseph Noel Paton was a Scottish artist and sculptor who lived from 1821 to 1901. He is particularly renowned for his paintings depicting scenes from literature and mythology, as well as his work on the decorative schemes for various public buildings in Scotland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paton
Among Census respondents with the surname Paton, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Paton 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 Paton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.8% · 2,449
- Black or African American3.7% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 103
- Two or more races3.3% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paton
Paton 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
#10,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,059
+213 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 116 places
2020
#10,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,788
-271 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 424 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,375 | 2,846 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,491 | 3,059 | 1.04 | +213 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 116 places |
| 2020 | #10,915 | 2,788 | 0.93 | -271 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 424 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 Paton 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 | #10,491 | #10,915 | -4.0% |
| Count | 3,059 | 2,788 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.93 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paton bearers went from 3,059 to 2,788 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 424 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,491 to #10,915.
FAQ
Paton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paton?
Name Census estimates that about 3,197 living Americans carry the surname Paton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,211 residents.
How common is Paton?
Paton ranks #10,915 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 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 2,788 people with the surname Paton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,197), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 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 Paton.
Has Paton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paton went from 3,059 recorded bearers to 2,788. That is a decrease of 271 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,491 to #10,915.
What does the Census say about the background of Paton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paton, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Paton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.8% (2,449 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.8%), Black (3.7%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Paton (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 Paton mean?
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a gardener or tender of grapevines. 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 Paton (0.93 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 have the surname Paton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.