Milton
A habitational surname meaning “someone from Milton,” originally a place name for a settlement by a mill or in the middle of an area.
The #1,732 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 14,913 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Milton is a habitational surname taken from one of many English places called Milton. The name usually comes from Old English mylen or myln, meaning “mill,” plus tūn, “enclosure, farmstead, settlement,” so the sense is “mill farm” or “farmstead by the mill.” In some places, however, Milton reflects Old English middel plus tūn, meaning “middle settlement,” because several Milton names arose by shortening or reshaping older Middletons.
History
The surname developed independently in several parts of England, since Milton is a common place name rather than a single family origin. Early records show forms such as Mylentun and Middleton, and later bearers could be linked to different parishes named Milton across the country. The name became widespread in English-speaking countries through later migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Harrison notes that Milton, Kent, was recorded as Mylentun as early as AD 822, showing how old the place-name tradition behind the surname is.
From the historical record
“O.N. ^orp\ MILTON (Eng.) Bel. to Milton = i the Mill Enclosure or Farmstead [O.E. myl{e)n -f to'«] Milton, Kent, was Mylentun in A.D. 822. 2 the Middle Enclosure or Farm- stead [O.E. middel] Milton Abbas was formerly Middleton; and Great Milton, Oxon, occurs in Domesday Book as Midelton.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)