Pelton
An English habitational surname, most commonly from Pelton in County Durham, meaning “settlement by Peol’s or Pēola’s farm.”
The #5,980 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 53,667 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Pelton is generally taken as a habitational surname from Pelton in Durham. The place-name is usually explained as Old English personal name Pēola or Peol + tūn, meaning “Pēola’s farm or settlement.” Some 19th-century writers also explored other possibilities, but the Durham place-name explanation is the standard one.
History
Medieval records show people styled de Pelton, indicating origin from the place-name rather than an occupation or nickname. The surname later spread beyond Durham into other parts of England and overseas. A few older sources briefly suggested links to other English places or even a personal-name origin, but the Durham derivation is the most widely accepted.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname appears in medieval Latinized forms such as de Pelton, a classic clue that it began as a place-based byname.
From the historical record
“= (prob.) Peol's Corner [O.E. h(e)dl(h] PELTON (Eng.) Bel. to Pelton (Durham) [v. PeU (Eng.), and + O.E. tun, farm, estate] PEMBER. There is no trace of this being an Eng. localname;othei'wiseit could repre-^ sent an O.E. pin-beant, 'pine-grove.' , Nor\ does it seem to be Cymric. In all pror ' bability it is the…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)