2000
#1,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,498
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.34
Uncommon Last name
Stratton
A locational surname derived from any of the places named Stratton, meaning "settlement on a Roman road."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,261 Americans carry the last name Stratton. That puts it at #1,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,569 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stratton 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 Stratton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
25K
1 in 13,569
Census rank
#1,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,029 bearers of the surname Stratton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stratton, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stratton
The surname Stratton has its origins in England, and it is believed to have derived from the Old English words "stræt" meaning "street" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "settlement". This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or on a paved street or road.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 12th century. One of the earliest known references is in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1176, where a person named Robertus de Stratton is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1279, where a William de Stratton is recorded.
The name Stratton is closely associated with several place names in England, such as Stratton in Cornwall, Stratton in Dorset, and Stratton St. Margaret in Wiltshire. These place names likely contributed to the widespread use of the surname across various regions.
One notable historical figure bearing the name Stratton was Sir John Stratton (c. 1512-1586), an English Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London. He served as the Lord Mayor in 1571 and played a significant role in the city's governance during the Elizabethan era.
Another prominent figure was Thomas Stratton (c. 1519-1594), an English Catholic priest and martyr. He was executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I for his religious beliefs and is remembered as one of the Catholic martyrs of England.
In the 17th century, John Stratton (1639-1695) was an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, from 1681 until his death.
During the 18th century, William Stratton (1691-1753) was a notable English architect who designed several churches and other buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
In the 19th century, Thomas Stratton (1786-1869) was a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became an admiral.
These are just a few examples of individuals bearing the surname Stratton who have left their mark on history, spanning various fields such as politics, religion, academia, architecture, and the military.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stratton
Among Census respondents with the surname Stratton, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Stratton 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 Stratton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 19,184
- Black or African American4.5% · 999
- Two or more races4.0% · 874
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 700
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 169
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 103
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stratton
Stratton 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
#1,565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,983
+485 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 7.79
Rank movement Down 108 places
2020
#1,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,029
-954 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 7.37
Rank movement Down 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,457 | 22,498 | 8.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,565 | 22,983 | 7.79 | +485 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 108 places |
| 2020 | #1,590 | 22,029 | 7.37 | -954 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 25 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 Stratton 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 | #1,565 | #1,590 | -1.6% |
| Count | 22,983 | 22,029 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 7.79 | 7.37 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stratton bearers went from 22,983 to 22,029 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,565 to #1,590.
FAQ
Stratton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stratton?
Name Census estimates that about 25,261 living Americans carry the surname Stratton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,569 residents.
How common is Stratton?
Stratton ranks #1,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,029 people with the surname Stratton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,261), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Stratton.
Has Stratton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stratton went from 22,983 recorded bearers to 22,029. That is a decrease of 954 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,565 to #1,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Stratton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stratton, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Stratton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (19,184 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stratton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Black (4.5%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Stratton (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 Stratton mean?
A locational surname derived from any of the places named Stratton, meaning "settlement on a Roman road." 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 Stratton (7.37 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 Stratton?
You can see how many people are called Stratton on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.