Find out how popular the last name Peyton is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Peyton.

Peyton, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Peyton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Peyton in America

Peyton is the 3477th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Peyton surname appeared 10,276 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Peyton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Peyton to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Peyton

The surname Peyton has its origins in the Old French word "peiton", which means "a small piece of land". It is believed to have originated in Normandy, France, during the Middle Ages.

The name was likely brought to England by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It was initially spelled in various ways, such as Peiton, Peytun, and Paytun, before the modern spelling of Peyton became more standardized.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Peiton" in the county of Somerset, England. This entry suggests that the name was already present in England shortly after the Norman Conquest.

In the 12th century, the name was associated with landowners and noblemen in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Somerset, Devon, and Wiltshire. Notable historical figures with the surname Peyton include Sir John Peyton (c. 1543 - 1616), an English politician and military leader who served as Lieutenant of the Tower of London.

Another prominent individual was Sir Robert Peyton (1589 - 1677), an English politician and soldier who fought for the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. He was appointed Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance by King Charles I.

In the 15th century, the name was also found in records related to the town of Peyton, located in the county of Essex, England. This place name likely derived from the surname itself, suggesting that the Peyton family had established a significant presence in the area.

Moving forward in time, Sir Henry Peyton (1719 - 1789) was a British naval officer who served during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. He achieved the rank of Admiral of the Blue and played a crucial role in several naval battles.

Another notable figure was Sir John Peyton (1809 - 1879), a British Member of Parliament and barrister who served as a Justice of the Queen's Bench. He was also the High Sheriff of Norfolk in 1849.

Throughout its history, the surname Peyton has maintained a strong association with landed gentry, military service, and political involvement in various parts of England, reflecting the influential status of many families bearing this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Peyton

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Peyton.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Peyton was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Peyton has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Peyton was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Peyton, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!