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Carlton Family History

Carlton Surname Meaning

English (northern and eastern England): habitational name from any of various places called Carlton (Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Durham, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Suffolk, East Yorkshire, Yorkshire, and North Yorkshire) or Carleton (Cumberland, Lancashire, Norfolk, Yorkshire).

All come from Old Norse karl ‘common man, peasant’ + Old English tūn ‘settlement’ (compare Charlton). Places spelled Carl(e)ton (as opposed to Charlton) are in areas of Scandinavian settlement, mostly in northern England.

Irish (Antrim): variant of Carleton.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Carlton family from?

You can see how Carlton families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Carlton family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Carlton families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 390 Carlton families living in Yorkshire. This was about 25% of all the recorded Carlton's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Carlton families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Carlton surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Carlton ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Carlton. 11% of Carlton men worked as a General Labourer and 72% of Carlton women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Carlton were Bricklayer and Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Carlton | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    11%
  • Farmer
    6%
  • Retired
    5%
  • Bricklayer
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    72%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Domestic Servant
    3%
  • Domestic Duties
    2%

What Carlton family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 140,000 census records available for the last name Carlton. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Carlton census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Carlton

Passenger Lists

There are 10,000 immigration records available for the last name Carlton. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Carlton immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 32,000 military records available for the last name Carlton. For the veterans among your Carlton ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Carlton military records

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