Explore the Family Name Halton

The meaning of Halton

1. English (mainly Lancashire): habitational name from any of several places called Halton in Cheshire, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Northumberland, Lincolnshire, Shropshire and Buckinghamshire. Halton is usually from Old English h(e)alh ‘nook, hollow’ + tūn ‘enclosure, settlement’. Halton in Cheshire, however, is possibly named from an Old English hāthel ‘heathery place’ + tūn, and Halton in Northumberland from an Old English hāw ‘look out’ + hyll ‘hill’ + tūn. 2. Irish: variant of Holton. History: Most English bearers of this name trace their descent from William de Halton, who was living at Halton, Lancashire, in 1346.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Halton in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Halton has seen a slight drop, moving from a rank of 17,899 in 2000 to 18,347 in 2010, a decrease of 2.5%. Despite this fall in ranking, the actual count of individuals with the Halton name increased by 4.79% over the same period, growing from 1,441 to 1,510. The proportion of people named Halton per 100,000 population also saw a small decline of 3.77%, shifting from 0.53 in 2000 to 0.51 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#17,899#18,347-2.5%
Count1,4411,5104.79%
Proportion per 100k0.530.51-3.77%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Halton

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data provides a fascinating picture of the distribution of the Halton surname. Between 2000 and 2010, the largest ethnic identity associated with the name was White, however, it experienced an 8.58% decrease, from 59.33% to 54.24%. Meanwhile, the Hispanic representation within the Halton surname rose dramatically by 254.64%, albeit from a small base of 0.97% to 3.44%. Those identifying as Black increased slightly by 4.34% to 38.01%. Two or more races also saw an increase from 2.08% to 2.72%. Asian/Pacific Islander demonstrated a significant rise too, more than doubling from 0.56% to 1.13%. However, American Indian and Alaskan Native presence dipped by 25.81% during this period.

20002010Change
White59.33%54.24%-8.58%
Black36.43%38.01%4.34%
Hispanic0.97%3.44%254.64%
Two or More Races2.08%2.72%30.77%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.56%1.13%101.79%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.62%0.46%-25.81%