Sutton
A very common English surname from places called Sutton, meaning "south homestead" or "southern enclosure."
The #341 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 3,394 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Sutton comes from Old English words meaning "south" and "farmstead, settlement, or enclosure." In medieval records it appears in forms such as Sudtun and similar spellings, all pointing to a place name describing a southern settlement. Because there were many places called Sutton across England, the surname could arise independently in several locations.
History
This is one of the most widespread English place-based surnames, reflecting how many parishes, hamlets, and minor districts were called Sutton. Early surname writers also noted that it occurs very commonly in records and heraldic sources. In Ireland, it could sometimes be adopted as an English-style surname, but there it may also reflect English settlement rather than native Irish origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower noted that there were more than sixty places in England bearing the name Sutton, which helps explain why the surname became so common.
From the historical record
“SUTTLEY for Sutferley, q.v. SUTTON (Eng.) Bel. to Sutton, the M.E. Sutton{e, A.-Sax. SUVtun - the South En- closure, Farmstead, or Village [O.E. siiS, sOp + mn] Sutton, Surrey, occurs in a wholly Latin charter dated a.d. 727 ('Cart. Sax.' no. 39) as "apud Su^tone," SUTTOR for Sutor : v, Suter. SWABEY \ (Scand.)…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)