Haughton
A place-name surname meaning someone from a settlement called Haughton, usually interpreted as a “high town” or “settlement on a height.”
The #9,129 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 86,314 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Haughton is a locational surname taken from one of several English places called Haughton or Houghton. The name is generally explained from Old English elements meaning “high” plus “farmstead, settlement, or enclosure,” so the basic sense is “high settlement” or “settlement on a rise.” In some cases, spelling was influenced by local pronunciation, and historical forms overlap with Houghton and Halghton.
History
The surname arose independently in more than one part of England, since there were several places named Haughton. Historical surname collections from the 19th and early 20th centuries treat it as a local name and note many spelling variants, especially Houghton. The form became established in England and later spread to Ireland and North America through migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley and other old surname dictionaries grouped Haughton with other local surnames that shifted easily between spellings, so the same family line may appear as Haughton, Houghton, or Halghton in older records.
From the historical record
“places in the Lake district' (v. Isaac Taylor's Words and Places, p, (77) ; V. Halgh, and cf. Haughton and Halghton (s.v. Houghlon> MDB. (cD. Cumberland), i. Haughton-— Local ; v. Hougli-”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances