Barton
A classic English surname from place-names meaning a farmstead or manor house enclosure.
The #488 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 4,525 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Barton comes from the Old English word beortun or bere-tun, meaning a barley farm, outlying grange, or the farmyard and enclosed land attached to a manor. In later medieval English, barton was also used more generally for a manorial demesne or a substantial farmstead, and many places in England took the name. The surname usually arose from someone who lived at, worked at, or came from one of these Barton places.
History
The name is widespread because there are many Barton place-names in England, and surnames often formed from such local names. Historical surname dictionaries note that some families took the name directly from places called Barton, while in other cases it may have described residence near a manor farm or enclosed demesne. It is now common in England and especially well established in the United States through later British migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
There are dozens of places called Barton across England, which is one reason the surname became so common.
From the historical record
“BARTLETT. See Bartholomew. BARTON. The Gazetteer gives thirty- seven parishes, towns, and places so called . in various counties of England. In the ""V. of England the demesnes of a manor or any considerable homestead are called ha lions. BARTRUIM. A corruption of Bertram. BARTTELOT. The Barttelots of Stop- ham…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom