2000
#319
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 87,373
First available Census row
Per 100,000 32.39
Uncommon Last name
Sutton
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the various places called Sutton in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 99,577 Americans carry the last name Sutton. That puts it at #351 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 29.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,442 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sutton 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 Sutton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
100K
1 in 3,442
Census rank
#351
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
29.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
87K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 86,836 bearers of the surname Sutton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 29.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 351st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sutton, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sutton
The surname Sutton originated in England and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is an English habitational name, derived from various places called Sutton, which comes from the Old English words 'sūth' meaning south and 'tūn' meaning settlement or farm. The name was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, referring to individuals and places with the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Helto de Sutton, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1166. The spelling variants of the name included Suttun, Sutton, and Suttone in medieval records. Several individuals with the surname Sutton were prominent in the 13th and 14th centuries, such as Richard Sutton (c. 1275-1345), who served as a judge and Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas in England.
The name was also associated with various places in England, such as Sutton Coldfield, Sutton-on-Sea, and Sutton Valence. These place names were derived from the same Old English words and often referred to settlements located to the south of other towns or landmarks.
Notable individuals with the surname Sutton throughout history include:
1. Sir Richard Sutton (c. 1480-1524), a courtier and diplomat during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII.
2. Thomas Sutton (1532-1611), a wealthy merchant and founder of Charterhouse School in London.
3. Robert Sutton (1671-1746), an English clergyman and author known for his writings on religious topics.
4. Sir George Sutton (1698-1782), a British naval officer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament.
5. Thomas Sutton (1819-1875), a British civil engineer who designed and constructed several notable bridges and railways in the mid-19th century.
The surname Sutton continued to be widespread in England and has since been carried to other parts of the world through migration and exploration. Its origins, however, can be firmly traced back to the settlements and place names of medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sutton
Among Census respondents with the surname Sutton, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sutton 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 Sutton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.0% · 60,774
- Black or African American21.2% · 18,446
- Two or more races4.5% · 3,908
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 2,663
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 539
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 506
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sutton
Sutton 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
#341
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 90,964
+3,591 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 30.84
Rank movement Down 22 places
2020
#351
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 86,836
-4,128 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 29.05
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #319 | 87,373 | 32.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #341 | 90,964 | 30.84 | +3,591 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 22 places |
| 2020 | #351 | 86,836 | 29.05 | -4,128 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 10 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 Sutton 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 | #341 | #351 | -2.9% |
| Count | 90,964 | 86,836 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 30.84 | 29.05 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sutton bearers went from 90,964 to 86,836 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #341 to #351.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sutton
FAQ
Sutton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sutton?
Name Census estimates that about 99,577 living Americans carry the surname Sutton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,442 residents.
How common is Sutton?
Sutton ranks #351 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 29.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 29 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 86,836 people with the surname Sutton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (99,577), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 29.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 29.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 29 of them to have the surname Sutton.
Has Sutton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sutton went from 90,964 recorded bearers to 86,836. That is a decrease of 4,128 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #341 to #351.
What does the Census say about the background of Sutton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sutton, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Sutton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.0% (60,774 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sutton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.0%), Black (21.2%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Sutton (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 Sutton mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the various places called Sutton in England. 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 Sutton (29.05 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 Sutton?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Sutton on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.