# Elton (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/elton/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Old English.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 2,453 |
| US rank (2010) | 12,616 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 125,864 people |
| Change since 2000 | +11% (2,213 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛltən/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From a number of sources, including: # For the places in Cheshire, County Durham, and Derbyshire, England: from Old English ēl (“eel”) + tūn (“farm, village”) since the village is situated above a small stream. Less likely, from Old English personal name Ella + tūn. # For the place in Cambridgeshire, England: from Middle English Adelintune, from Old English æþeling (“prince”) + tūn (“estate”). # For the place in Gloucestershire, England: from Middle English Elwinton, from Old English personal name Ælfwine + tūn (“estate”). # For the place in Herefordshire, England: from Middle English Elintona, from Old English *æling (“eel fishery”) + tūn (“estate”), in reference to nearby Wigmore Lake. # For the place in Nottinghamshire, England, see Elton on the Hill.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Elton in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 91% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 3.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.0% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.2% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 1.6% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Elton in Australia.

## People named Elton

- Ben Elton, British comedian, author, playwright, actor and director

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.