Eaton
A common English surname meaning someone from an Eaton—literally a settlement by a river meadow or island, depending on the place-name.
The #740 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 6,543 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Eaton is a habitational surname taken from one of several English places called Eaton. The place-name usually comes from Old English ea meaning 'river' plus tun meaning 'enclosure, farmstead, settlement,' so the sense is 'settlement by the river' or 'river-side farm.' In some cases, older writers also connect it with words for an island or a smooth enclosure, but the river-settlement explanation is the standard one.
History
The surname arose independently in different parts of England wherever people were identified by their home village or parish named Eaton. Historical dictionaries note Eaton place-names in counties such as Cheshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, Berkshire, and others. Because there are many such places, the surname is widespread and can have multiple local origins rather than a single family line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Eaton is one of those surnames that can point to several different places at once, which is why unrelated families may share it.
From the historical record
“the old form of Isaiah. EATON. Parishes and places in cos. Leicester, Chester, Berks, Nottingham, Salop, Derby, Hereford, Bedford, &c. EATWELL. Probably from Etwall, a parish in Derbyshire. EAVES. A townsbijj in Staffordshire. EAVESTAFF. Most likely a corruption of Heave-staff, analogous to Hurlbat, Shakeshaft…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom