2000
#2,388
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,898
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.15
Uncommon Last name
Staton
A toponymic surname derived from various place names in England meaning "stone town" or "settlement on stony ground."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,521 Americans carry the last name Staton. That puts it at #2,604 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Staton 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 Staton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 22,083
Census rank
#2,604
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,535 bearers of the surname Staton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2604th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Staton, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (28.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Staton
The surname Staton originates from England and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "stan" meaning stone and "tun" meaning town or enclosure, likely referring to a settlement near a stony area or surrounded by rocks.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1202, where a William de Stantun is mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time, with "Stantun" eventually becoming "Staton."
In the 13th century, the Staton surname appears in various records, such as the Curia Regis Rolls of Hampshire in 1208, which mentions a John de Stanton. This entry suggests that the name may have been associated with the village of Stanton, which can be found in several counties across England.
The Hundred Rolls of 1273 list a Robert de Stantun in Oxfordshire, providing further evidence of the name's widespread use during this period. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 include a Thomas Staton, one of the earliest recorded instances of the modern spelling.
Throughout history, there have been notable individuals bearing the Staton surname. One such figure was Sir John Staton (c. 1520-1569), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another prominent individual was Reverend William Staton (1638-1705), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "A Treatise on Christian Fortitude" and "The Immortal Crown of Glory."
In the 18th century, William Staton (1722-1801) was a renowned English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings, including the Ranelagh Gardens in Chelsea and the Greek Revival-style Buckingham House, now known as Buckingham Palace.
Moving forward to the 19th century, Mary Staton (1834-1912) was a British philanthropist and social reformer who dedicated her life to improving the living conditions of the working class in London's East End.
Lastly, Sir Frank Staton (1857-1927) was a successful British businessman and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the steel industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Staton
Among Census respondents with the surname Staton, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (28.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Staton 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 Staton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.6% · 8,615
- Black or African American28.0% · 3,794
- Two or more races4.2% · 573
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 395
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 81
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 77
Timeline
Historical Census data for Staton
Staton 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
#2,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,413
+515 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 4.89
Rank movement Down 126 places
2020
#2,604
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,535
-878 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 4.53
Rank movement Down 90 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,388 | 13,898 | 5.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,514 | 14,413 | 4.89 | +515 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 126 places |
| 2020 | #2,604 | 13,535 | 4.53 | -878 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 90 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 Staton 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 | #2,514 | #2,604 | -3.6% |
| Count | 14,413 | 13,535 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.89 | 4.53 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Staton bearers went from 14,413 to 13,535 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 90 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,514 to #2,604.
FAQ
Staton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Staton?
Name Census estimates that about 15,521 living Americans carry the surname Staton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,083 residents.
How common is Staton?
Staton ranks #2,604 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,535 people with the surname Staton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,521), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Staton.
Has Staton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Staton went from 14,413 recorded bearers to 13,535. That is a decrease of 878 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,514 to #2,604.
What does the Census say about the background of Staton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Staton, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (28.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Staton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.6% (8,615 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Staton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.6%), Black (28.0%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Staton (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 Staton mean?
A toponymic surname derived from various place names in England meaning "stone town" or "settlement on stony ground." 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 Staton (4.53 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 are called Staton?
See how many people have the surname Staton on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.