2000
#2,483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,299
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.93
Uncommon Last name
Templeton
A locational surname referring to someone from any of several places called Templeton, meaning "temple town."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,707 Americans carry the last name Templeton. That puts it at #2,735 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,306 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Templeton 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 Templeton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,306
Census rank
#2,735
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,825 bearers of the surname Templeton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2735th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Templeton, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Templeton
The surname Templeton is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "temp(e)l" meaning "temple" and "tun" meaning "an enclosed piece of ground, a farm, or a village." It is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century, referring to someone who lived near a temple or church.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Templeton appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, which mentions a Richard de Templeton. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain references to the name, suggesting its presence in different parts of England during that period.
The Templeton surname is closely associated with several place names in England, such as Templeton in Pembrokeshire, Wales, and Templeton in Yorkshire. These place names likely derived from the same Old English roots and may have contributed to the spread of the surname.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the Templeton surname was Sir John Templeton (c. 1520-1594), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire. Another early bearer of the name was Robert Templeton (c. 1540-1613), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
During the 17th century, the Templeton surname gained prominence with individuals like Sir Thomas Templeton (1613-1675), an English politician and landowner from Staffordshire, and John Templeton (1630-1677), an English physician and author who wrote on medical topics.
In the 18th century, the name was associated with figures like John Templeton (1766-1825), a Scottish mathematician and writer, and Sir Emerson Templeton (1761-1835), an Irish politician and landowner who served as a Member of the Irish Parliament.
As the surname spread across the British Isles and beyond, it was carried by notable individuals like Charles Templeton (1915-2001), a Canadian evangelist, author, and journalist, and Sir John Templeton (1912-2008), an American-born British investor and philanthropist who established the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Templeton
Among Census respondents with the surname Templeton, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Templeton 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 Templeton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 11,100
- Black or African American4.9% · 625
- Two or more races3.9% · 495
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 461
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 68
Timeline
Historical Census data for Templeton
Templeton 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
#2,687
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,396
+97 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 4.54
Rank movement Down 204 places
2020
#2,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,825
-571 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 4.29
Rank movement Down 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,483 | 13,299 | 4.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,687 | 13,396 | 4.54 | +97 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 204 places |
| 2020 | #2,735 | 12,825 | 4.29 | -571 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 48 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 Templeton 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 | #2,687 | #2,735 | -1.8% |
| Count | 13,396 | 12,825 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.54 | 4.29 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Templeton bearers went from 13,396 to 12,825 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,687 to #2,735.
FAQ
Templeton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Templeton?
Name Census estimates that about 14,707 living Americans carry the surname Templeton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,306 residents.
How common is Templeton?
Templeton ranks #2,735 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.29 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 12,825 people with the surname Templeton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,707), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.29 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 Templeton.
Has Templeton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Templeton went from 13,396 recorded bearers to 12,825. That is a decrease of 571 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,687 to #2,735.
What does the Census say about the background of Templeton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Templeton, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) 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 Templeton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (11,100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Templeton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Black (4.9%), 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 Templeton (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 Templeton mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of several places called Templeton, meaning "temple 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 Templeton (4.29 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 Templeton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.