Tipton
A habitational surname from places named Tipton, most likely meaning “Tiba’s farm or settlement.”
The #1,420 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 12,318 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Tipton is a locational surname taken from places in England, especially Tipton in Staffordshire. The older form is generally explained as Old English *Tibinga-tun*, meaning “the farm or estate of Tiba’s people,” from the personal name Tiba or Tibba plus the plural group suffix -ing and *tun* “farm, settlement.” Some historical writers also linked the name with nearby Tibbington/Tibington forms, and a smaller Devonshire place of the same name is noted as another possible source.
History
The surname appears early in records from the English Midlands, and Bardsley notes an early spread into the neighboring county of Shropshire. Like many locational surnames, it was adopted by families who moved away from the original place and were identified by it in their new homes. The name is well established in Britain and later appears in North America as part of wider English migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The medieval spellings recorded for the place help show how English place-names often shifted in spelling long before modern standardization.
From the historical record
“TIPPLER = Tipler, q.v. TIPTON (Eng.) Bel. to Tipton or Tibbington (Staff's), 13th cent. Tibinton, Domesday Tibintone, A.-Sax. *Tibinga-tiin = the Estate of the Tiba Family [tlie A.-Sax. pers. Tiba or Tibba is a pet contr. of a name whose first element is Tid- or Theod-, etc., with a second element beginn- ing with…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)