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

Yelton, 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 Yelton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yelton in America

Yelton is the 11783rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yelton surname appeared 2,659 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 Yelton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yelton 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 Yelton

The surname Yelton has its roots in the British Isles, specifically in the English counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is believed to have originated as an occupational surname, derived from the Old English word "gyltan," which meant "to gild" or "to cover with gold." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely involved in the trade of gilding or working with precious metals.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Yelton surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a person named Gilton is listed as a landowner in Yorkshire. This spelling variation is thought to be an early precursor to the modern Yelton name.

In the 13th century, records show a Roger Yelton residing in Lancashire, indicating the surname's presence in the region during that period. Another notable early bearer of the name was John Yelton, who was born in Yorkshire in the late 14th century and is mentioned in local church records.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Yelton surname began to spread across England, with families bearing the name settling in various counties. One prominent figure from this era was Sir Thomas Yelton, a wealthy merchant and landowner born in Gloucestershire in 1587.

As the surname continued to evolve, it adopted different spellings, such as Yellton, Yeltone, and Yealton, reflecting the variations in regional dialects and scribal interpretations. These alternative spellings can be found in various historical documents from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

In the 19th century, several notable individuals with the Yelton surname emerged. One such figure was William Yelton (1790-1867), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Yorkshire, who made significant contributions to the local community.

Another prominent Yelton was Mary Yelton (1820-1892), a renowned author and educator from Lancashire. Her works on literature and education were widely acclaimed during her lifetime.

In the 20th century, the Yelton surname continued to be represented by notable individuals, such as Sir Edward Yelton (1905-1988), a distinguished diplomat who served as the British ambassador to several countries.

While the Yelton surname has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, carried by emigrants and descendants of the original British families.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yelton

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

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

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