Caton
A mostly locational surname, originally meaning “from Catton,” especially the place near Norwich.
The #6,247 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 56,474 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Caton is generally treated as a variant of Catton, a habitational surname taken from places named Catton. Lower specifically connects it with the manor of Catton near Norwich, recorded in Domesday as Catun or Catuna. The Latinized forms Catonus, Gathonus, and Chattodunus also appear in older records, showing how scribes adapted the name in medieval documents.
History
Bardsley notes Caton as a local surname and lists several possible Catton/Caton place-names in England. Lower says the family was long established in Norfolk, and that the spelling Caton appears beside older forms like Catton and De Catton until the late 16th century. The name later spread beyond Norfolk, and modern bearers are found widely in the English-speaking world.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old records show several Latinized spellings of the name, which can make the same family appear under very different-looking forms in medieval archives.
From the historical record
“CATO. An old Germ. name. Ferguson. CATON. Until the close of the XVI. cent., Catton and De Catton ; from the ma- nor of Catton near Norwich, which in Domesday is spelt Catun and Catuna. The family were located in Norfolk from time immemorial till the middle of the hist century. The latiuizations Catonus, Ga-…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom