Dalton
A habitational surname meaning “from Dalton,” referring to one of several English and Scottish places with that name.
The #654 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,916 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Dalton is a place-name surname taken from one of the many villages and parishes called Dalton in northern England and southern Scotland. The name is usually explained as Old English dæl or Old Norse dalr, meaning “valley,” plus tūn, meaning “farmstead,” “settlement,” or “enclosure.” In plain terms, it means “the settlement in the valley.”
History
The provided sources repeatedly note Dalton as a local surname tied to places in Lancashire, Northumberland, Durham, Yorkshire, Dumfries, and Lanark. Lower specifically connects one Dalton family to Dalton Hall in Lancashire and says later Daltons of Thurham sprang from that line. Bardsley also remarks that the place-name is especially common in the hillier districts of northern England.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because there are so many places called Dalton, the surname could arise independently in more than one family line.
From the historical record
“the family. DALTON. Parishes and places in cos. Lancaster, Northumberland, Durham, York, Dumfries, Lanark, &:c. Dalton Hall, in the first named co., had owners of its own name temp. Edw. III. From them sprang the Daltons of Thuruham. DALTREY. De Alta Ripa. See Haw- trey. DAL WAY The Irish family migrated from…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom