2000
#3,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,013
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.08
Uncommon Last name
Paxton
From an English place name meaning "peaceful town," derived from Old English elements meaning "peace" and "town."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,201 Americans carry the last name Paxton. That puts it at #3,048 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,964 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paxton 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 Paxton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 25,964
Census rank
#3,048
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,512 bearers of the surname Paxton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3048th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paxton, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paxton
The surname Paxton has its origins in the northern regions of England, particularly Northumberland and the Scottish Borders. It is derived from the Old English words "peac" meaning a hill or peak, and "tun" meaning a settlement or farm. The name likely refers to a specific farm or hamlet situated on a hill or elevated land.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Paxton can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. There, the village of Paxton is listed as "Paxingeton" in Yorkshire.
In the 12th century, the name appears as "Paxston" in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire, referring to a landowner in that region. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form of Paxton.
The name is also associated with several place names in England and Scotland, such as Paxton in Berwickshire, Scotland, and Paxton in Huntingdonshire, England. These locations likely contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname by families residing in those areas.
Notable individuals with the surname Paxton throughout history include Sir Joseph Paxton (1803-1865), an influential English gardener, architect, and Member of Parliament, best known for designing the Crystal Palace for the Great Exhibition of 1851. Another prominent figure was Bill Paxton (1955-2017), an American actor and director known for roles in films like "Aliens," "Twister," and "Apollo 13."
Other historical figures bearing the Paxton surname include Thomas Paxton (1719-1788), an American surveyor and pioneer who explored and settled parts of the Ohio Valley, and Walter Paxton (1824-1912), a Scottish architect responsible for designing numerous buildings in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
In the literary world, Steven Paxton (born 1939) is a renowned American dancer and choreographer, considered a pioneer of the postmodern dance movement. Mary Paxton (1924-2013) was an American author and journalist, best known for her works chronicling the life and times of the American South.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paxton
Among Census respondents with the surname Paxton, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Paxton 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 Paxton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.5% · 9,614
- Black or African American8.0% · 922
- Two or more races3.9% · 452
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 381
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 70
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paxton
Paxton 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
#3,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,754
+741 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 3.98
Rank movement Down 30 places
2020
#3,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,512
-242 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 3.85
Rank movement Up 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,019 | 11,013 | 4.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,049 | 11,754 | 3.98 | +741 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 30 places |
| 2020 | #3,048 | 11,512 | 3.85 | -242 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 1 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 Paxton 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 | #3,049 | #3,048 | 0.0% |
| Count | 11,754 | 11,512 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.98 | 3.85 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paxton bearers went from 11,754 to 11,512 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,049 to #3,048.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Paxton
FAQ
Paxton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paxton?
Name Census estimates that about 13,201 living Americans carry the surname Paxton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,964 residents.
How common is Paxton?
Paxton ranks #3,048 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,512 people with the surname Paxton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,201), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Paxton.
Has Paxton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paxton went from 11,754 recorded bearers to 11,512. That is a decrease of 242 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,049 to #3,048.
What does the Census say about the background of Paxton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paxton, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Paxton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.5% (9,614 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paxton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.5%), Black (8.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Paxton (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 Paxton mean?
From an English place name meaning "peaceful town," derived from Old English elements meaning "peace" and "town." 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 Paxton (3.85 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 share the surname Paxton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.