NameCensus.

UK surname

Dayton

Habitational surname derived from any of the various places named Dayton, likely meaning "settlement by the ditch."

In the 1881 census there were 106 people recorded with the Dayton surname, ranking it #19,083 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 142, ranked #24,625, down from #19,083 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Llanhilleth and Hemel Hempstead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Blaenau Gwent, North East Lincolnshire and Milton Keynes.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dayton is 224 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 34.0%.

1881 census count

106

Ranked #19,083

Modern count

142

2016, ranked #24,625

Peak year

1861

224 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dayton had 106 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,083 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 142 in 2016, ranked #24,625.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 224 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Dayton surname distribution map

The map shows where the Dayton surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Dayton surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dayton over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 117 #15,456
1861 historical 224 #10,882
1881 historical 106 #19,083
1891 historical 203 #14,754
1901 historical 183 #15,996
1911 historical 184 #15,742
1997 modern 142 #21,856
1998 modern 147 #21,935
1999 modern 142 #22,607
2000 modern 141 #22,648
2001 modern 143 #22,133
2002 modern 136 #23,296
2003 modern 135 #23,155
2004 modern 135 #23,326
2005 modern 136 #23,205
2006 modern 143 #22,619
2007 modern 150 #22,212
2008 modern 152 #22,225
2009 modern 156 #22,351
2010 modern 155 #22,985
2011 modern 151 #23,204
2012 modern 138 #24,614
2013 modern 136 #25,252
2014 modern 135 #25,581
2015 modern 141 #24,723
2016 modern 142 #24,625

Geography

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Where Daytons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Llanhilleth, Hemel Hempstead and Redbourn. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Blaenau Gwent, North East Lincolnshire, Milton Keynes and Newport. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 3
2 Llanhilleth Monmouthshire
3 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire
4 Redbourn Hertfordshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Blaenau Gwent 009 Blaenau Gwent
2 North East Lincolnshire 019 North East Lincolnshire
3 Milton Keynes 031 Milton Keynes
4 Newport 001 Newport
5 North East Lincolnshire 002 North East Lincolnshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dayton

These lists show first names that appear often with the Dayton surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dayton

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dayton, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Dayton surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Dayton household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Dayton is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dayton is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dayton falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Dayton is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Dayton, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Dayton

The surname Dayton has its roots in England, where it originated as a locational name derived from the place name Dayton, a town in Shropshire. This place name itself comes from the Old English words "dæg" meaning "day" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "settlement." Thus, the name Dayton essentially means "the enclosure or settlement where daybreak occurs."

The earliest known record of the surname Dayton dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the Pipe Rolls of Shropshire in 1275 as "Adam de Dayeton." This suggests that the name was already well-established by that time, likely originating several centuries earlier.

In the 14th century, the surname is found in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where it appears as "Robertus de Daytone." The Hundred Rolls of Berkshire from 1273 also mention a "Willelmus de Daitone."

One notable figure bearing the surname Dayton was Sir Robert Dayton (c. 1530-1607), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire. Another early bearer of the name was William Dayton (1592-1669), an English colonial settler who emigrated to New England in the 17th century and became one of the founders of the town of Hampton, New Hampshire.

In the 18th century, Jonathan Dayton (1760-1824) was a prominent American politician and Revolutionary War veteran who served as the third Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. The city of Dayton, Ohio, was named after him in 1805.

Other notable individuals with the surname Dayton include William Lewis Dayton (1807-1864), an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Minister to France, and Horace Dayton (1810-1870), an American engineer and inventor who patented several innovations in the field of firearms manufacturing.

Throughout its history, the surname Dayton has been subject to various spellings, including Daitone, Daytone, and Daiton, reflecting the regional variations and phonetic adaptations common in English surnames. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in the Old English words that gave rise to the original place name Dayton.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dayton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dayton surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 28 Daytons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.71x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 28 2.71x
Hertfordshire 23 32.28x
Northamptonshire 17 17.48x
Essex 11 5.39x
Surrey 10 1.99x
Perthshire 4 8.62x
Berkshire 3 3.87x
Lancashire 3 0.24x
Ayrshire 1 1.29x
Derbyshire 1 0.62x
Glamorgan 1 0.56x
Gloucestershire 1 0.49x
Hampshire 1 0.47x
Warwickshire 1 0.38x
Yorkshire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barking in Essex leads with 10 Daytons recorded in 1881 and an index of 167.50x.

Place Total Index
Barking 10 167.50x
St Luke London 9 54.28x
Hemel Hempstead 8 249.22x
Fulham London 7 46.70x
Battersea 6 15.77x
Hargrave 6 4615.38x
Redbourn 5 641.03x
St Albans St Peter 5 208.33x
Balquhidder 4 1818.18x
Earls Barton 4 481.93x
Raunds 4 404.04x
St Marylebone London 4 7.25x
Lambeth 3 3.33x
Watford 3 54.25x
Abingdon St Helen 2 88.11x
Ashton Under Lyne 2 7.46x
Kensington London 2 3.48x
Newton Bromshold 2 5000.00x
St Albans St Stephen 2 322.58x
Basingstoke 1 40.98x
Birmingham 1 1.15x
Bromley London 1 4.40x
Camberwell 1 1.51x
Cardiff St Mary 1 10.08x
Cookham 1 41.32x
Crofton 1 400.00x
Dronfield 1 48.31x
Gloucester St Nicholas 1 106.38x
Hackney London 1 1.73x
Hampstead London 1 6.21x
Islington London 1 1.00x
Layton With Warbreck 1 22.22x
Paddington London 1 2.63x
Shoreditch London 1 2.23x
Straiton 1 227.27x
Wellingborough 1 20.45x
West Ham 1 2.22x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Dayton surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 8
Elizabeth 5
Sarah 3
Amy 2
Eliza 2
Ethel 2
Hannah 2
Helen 2
Henrietta 2
Louisa 2
Ada 1
Ann 1
Charlotte 1
E.Ann 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Ellen 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Harriet 1
Jane 1
Jemima 1
Laura 1
Lizzie 1
Martha 1
Minnie 1
Phoebe 1
Rebecca 1
Rosa 1
Roseata 1
Sara 1
Sophia 1
Susan 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Dayton surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
James 6
John 5
Joseph 5
William 5
Henry 3
Richard 2
Thomas 2
Ambros 1
Charles 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
George 1
Harry 1
Horace 1
J. 1
Jonathen 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1
Wm. 1
Z.J. 1
Z.W.G. 1

FAQ

Dayton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dayton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 106 people were recorded with the Dayton surname. That placed it at #19,083 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dayton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 142 in 2016. That gives Dayton a modern rank of #24,625.

What does the Dayton surname mean?

Habitational surname derived from any of the various places named Dayton, likely meaning "settlement by the ditch."

What does the Dayton map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Dayton bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.