The Dalton surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 52,184 people carried this name — #654 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 5,650 people counted. That is up 4% from 50,166 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Dalton surname
A habitational surname from Old English.
From Old English dæl (“valley”) + tun (“settlement”).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Dalton» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 75 births for the Dalton name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 3,300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 204 people named Dalton live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
27 people named Dalton live in Switzerland.
They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 24 people named Dalton.
Most of them — 13 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 3 départements, most often Charente-Maritime.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In the Nordic population registers
31 people named Dalton is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).
Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s
Dalton was found among the farmers of 3 counties.
It was most frequent in Buckinghamshire: 18 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 556. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.
Where it concentrates, on the mapPer 10,000 farmers, by county
H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.
In Scotland’s registers today
Dalton was recorded 22 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.
That made it the 1076th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 17. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.
National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the first U.S. census, 1790
41 families named Dalton, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.
Each family is counted by its head. About 223 people lived in those households, 5.4 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.
Families, by state
U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 236 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.
In print
Dalton in American newspapers,
1875–1918.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.
In print
Dalton in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.
119,922 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Dalton. The most, 23,831, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 3.3 times its expected share.
Articles, by state
Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Dalton.
Who carried it
People named Dalton,
with a public archive behind them.
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Thomas Dalton d. 1730 · judge
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Grady W. Dalton d. 1986 · politician
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Thomas Dalton d. 1325 · Catholic priest
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Edward Dalton d. 1923 · barrister
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Lawrence Dalton d. 1561 · genealogist
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Milton A. Dalton d. 1895 · locksmith
Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
In the public record
People named Dalton,
in the records of 7 countries.
Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.
United States7,609 records
- New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 2,209
- U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,729
- Other U.S. records 3,671
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Example: U.S. war memorial War record James Wendall DaltonBorn 1947; from Maineville, Ohio. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Long Khanh, South Vietnam. Buried at Mill Springs National Cemetery, Kentucky.
U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: U.S. registration card, 1942 Military record Kenneth J. DaltonBorn 1911 in Nebraska. Enlisted 1940 at March Field Riverside, California; office clerk. U.S. Air Force veteran of World War II; died 1989, buried at Riverside National Cemetery, California.
U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record Mary DaltonArrived at New York in 1834 aboard the Herald from Liverpool, aged 20; servant. From West Meath, Ireland; bound for New York.
U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
Showing 3 of 7,609 records for Dalton in the United States.
Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).
Australia2,928 records
- Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,289
- Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 595
- Other Australian records 1,044
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Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829 Transportation record Mary Ann DaltonTransported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Stately, sailing from Plymouth in 1849. Native of Bradford, Yorkshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851. Married 1851 in New Norfolk, Tasmania, aged 21.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) -
Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829 Transportation record Alice DaltonTransported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Midlothian, sailing from Kingston in 1852. Native of Westmeath. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record George DaltonArrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Wanata, aged 25; English.
Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 2,928 records for Dalton in Australia.
Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).
Canada429 records
- Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 310
- Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 24
- Other Canadian records 95
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Example: German emigration file, 1883 Emigration record Suzan DaltonLeft New York in 1783 aboard the Diannah, bound for Port Mattoon, aged 2.
Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record Chas DaltonCame to Ontario in 1874 aboard the Caspian, bound for Clinton, Ontario; Irish.
Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. -
Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Leonard Samuel Percy DaltonBuried in 1977 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 61.
City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
Showing 3 of 429 records for Dalton in Canada.
Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).
New Zealand71 records
- Christchurch City cemetery records 35
- Marlborough District cemetery records 22
- Other New Zealand records 14
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Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Mary Ann DaltonDied 1948, aged 72; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.
Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Edward DaltonDied 1951, aged 64; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.
Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Elizabeth Jane DaltonBuried in 1905 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 58.
Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 71 records for Dalton in New Zealand.
Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).
United Kingdom66 records
- War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 40
- St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 23
- Welsh wills index cards 3
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Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Mary Ann DaltonBuried in 1849 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 75.
MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. -
Example: probate petition, 1848 Probate record Frances DaltonWill proved in 1924; of Llandudno, Carnarvon.
National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) -
Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919 War record W. DaltonRoyal Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.
National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
Showing 3 of 66 records for Dalton in the United Kingdom.
Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Netherlands14 records
- Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 6
- Dutch population registers 4
- Dutch church registers before 1811 4
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Example: civil register, 1880 Death record Ernest Albert Llewellyn DaltonDied 1936 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 42.
Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: civil register, 1880 Death record George DaltonDied 1893 in Reeuwijk, aged 30.
Open Archives, RHC Rijnstreek en Lopikerwaard (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: civil register, 1880 Death record Hannah DaltonDied 1823 in Vlissingen, aged 26.
Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 14 records for Dalton in the Netherlands.
Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).
France12 records
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Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Gabriel DaltonBorn 1905 in La Garde (Charente-Maritime); died 1982 in Mérignac (Gironde).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte) -
Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Marie Helene DaltonBorn 1893 in Paris; died 1986 in Les Mureaux (Yvelines).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
Showing 2 of 12 records for Dalton in France.
Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Dalton.
- Dallon 105 · U.S. census
- Dally 1,225 · U.S. census
- Dalmas 254 · U.S. census
- Dalmau 372 · U.S. census
- Dalon 137 · U.S. census
- Dalrymple 6,843 · U.S. census
- Daly 31,330 · U.S. census
- Dam 3,186 · U.S. census
- Damas 1,290 · U.S. census
- Damato 6,804 · U.S. census
- Dambach 408 · U.S. census
- Dambreville 154 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
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