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

Trafton, 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 Trafton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Trafton in America

Trafton is the 18724th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Trafton surname appeared 1,467 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Trafton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Trafton 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 Trafton

The surname Trafton has its roots in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated from a place name in the county of Dorset, deriving from the Old English words "trēf" meaning village or homestead, and "tūn" meaning an enclosure or settlement.

The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Dorset from 1207, where a Richard de Trefton is mentioned. This suggests that the name was initially spelled as Trefton before evolving into its current form. The nearby village of Trafton in Dorset may have also contributed to the surname's origin.

In the 13th century, the name Trafton can be found in the Assize Rolls of Somerset, indicating its spread to neighboring counties. One notable bearer was William de Trafton, who was listed as a landowner in the Hundred Rolls of 1273.

As the centuries passed, variations in spelling became common, with forms such as Traffton, Trafftone, and Trafftoun appearing in various records. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 list a John Traffton, while a Henry Trafftone is recorded in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1380.

In the 16th century, the name Trafton began to gain prominence. One notable figure was Thomas Trafton, a merchant and landowner from Bristol, who was born in 1525 and served as a member of the city's council. Another early bearer was John Trafton, a yeoman farmer from Devonshire, who was born in 1567.

During the 17th century, the surname spread further across England. One notable individual was Captain Edward Trafton, a military officer who served in the English Civil War and was born in 1620. He fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was later granted land in Hampshire for his services.

In the 18th century, the Trafton name found its way to America, with early settlers including John Trafton, who was born in 1712 in Devonshire and later immigrated to Massachusetts. His descendant, Mark Trafton, born in 1765, became a prominent figure in the American Revolutionary War, serving as a lieutenant in the Continental Army.

Throughout history, the Trafton surname has been carried by many notable individuals across various fields, including writers, artists, and politicians. These include the British author and poet John Trafton (1834-1912), the American painter William Trafton (1854-1935), and the Canadian politician James Trafton (1878-1947), who served as a member of the House of Commons.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Trafton

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

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 Trafton 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 Trafton 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 Trafton was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Trafton, 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!