Bolton
A place-name surname meaning someone from a settlement called Bolton, literally a “homestead” or “village” by a hill or enclosure.
The #1,068 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 9,409 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bolton is a locational surname from several English places called Bolton, especially in Lancashire. The place-name is usually explained from Old English bold or botl, meaning “house,” “dwelling,” or “homestead,” plus tūn, meaning “enclosure,” “farmstead,” or “settlement.” In other words, it originally referred to a home or village settlement; the exact sense can vary a little from place to place.
History
The name appears early in medieval records and was taken by people identified as being from one of the many places called Bolton. Lower notes that the Lancashire Bolton in particular gave rise to an important family. Because there are several Boltons across northern England, the surname can have more than one local point of origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bolton is one of those surnames that can point to several different hometowns rather than just one ancestral village.
From the historical record
“from it. BOLTON. Towns, parishes, and places in cos. Lancaster, Cumberl., Northumb., York, Westmorel., Haddington, &c. The first-mentioned gave name to an important family. B OMGAR SON. According toGent. Mag., Oct. 1S20, this is the Germ, haum-gai-tm, tree-garden, orchard. The Fr. hon-gargoii is a far likelier…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom