2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Wayton
A variant spelling of the English habitational surname for someone from Wayton, Norfolk.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Wayton. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wayton 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.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Wayton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wayton, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wayton
The surname Wayton has its origins in England, tracing back to the late medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "wat" meaning "wet" or "moist" and "tun" meaning "town" or "settlement." This suggests that the name likely originated from a place name referring to a town or village situated near a body of water or in a marshy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a certain John de Watton is mentioned. This spelling variation, Watton, further supports the theory of the name's connection to a place name related to water.
In the 15th century, records show a Robert Wayton residing in the village of Edgehill, Warwickshire. This village was the site of the Battle of Edgehill during the English Civil War in 1642, making it a significant historical location associated with the Wayton name.
Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Thomas Wayton, a English politician and Member of Parliament for Wigan in 1572. He played a role in the religious and political tensions of the Elizabethan era.
In the realm of literature, the Wayton name appears in the works of the 17th-century playwright and poet, John Milton. In his epic poem "Paradise Lost," a character named Wayton is mentioned, suggesting that the name was recognizable during that time period.
Moving into the 18th century, a prominent figure with the Wayton surname was William Wayton (1725-1798), an English botanist and naturalist who contributed significantly to the study of plant life in the British Isles.
Additionally, the Wayton name has connections to various place names across England, such as Wayton's Green in Staffordshire and Wayton's Hill in Wiltshire, further cementing its geographic origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wayton
Among Census respondents with the surname Wayton, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Wayton 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 Wayton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino9.3% · 11
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wayton
Wayton 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-12 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,606 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,371 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 18,606 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 2,371 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 Wayton 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 | #141,140 | #143,511 | -1.7% |
| Count | 118 | 118 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wayton bearers went from 118 to 118 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 2,371 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #143,511.
FAQ
Wayton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wayton?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Wayton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Wayton?
Wayton ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Wayton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Wayton.
Has Wayton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wayton went from 118 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Wayton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wayton, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Wayton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wayton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Hispanic (9.3%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Wayton (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 Wayton mean?
A variant spelling of the English habitational surname for someone from Wayton, Norfolk. 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 Wayton (0.04 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 Wayton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.