Walton
A common English surname from many places called Walton, meaning a farmstead or settlement by a wall, woodland, or enclosure.
The #446 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 4,180 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Walton is an English habitational surname, taken from one of many places named Walton. The place-name is usually explained from Old English w(e)all, meaning “wall” or “rampart,” plus tūn, “farmstead, estate, or settlement”; some early writers also allowed a second possible source from w(e)ald, “wood.” In either case, the name points to a settlement described by its setting or boundary feature.
History
Because there were so many places called Walton, the surname arose independently in several parts of England. Historical records cited by older surname writers show spellings such as Waletone, Waltone, and Waletun in Domesday and later medieval forms. The name spread widely and became especially common in England and, later, in English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower noted that the English Gazetteer listed more than thirty parishes and places called Walton.
From the historical record
“cw6n Hr68gares. ] Hrothgar's queen. WALTON (Eng.) Bel. to Walton (common) = I the Farmstead or HXmlet enclosed by, or situate near, a Wall [O.E. w(e)all, a wall + tun, a farm, etc.] 2 the Farmstead or Hamlet by the Wood [O.E. w{e)ald, a wood]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)