Wooten
An English habitational surname, originally used for someone from a place called Wootton, meaning “wood farm” or “farmstead in the wood.”
The #1,123 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 9,880 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Wooten is a variant spelling of Wootton, a common English place-name surname. It comes from Old English wudu meaning “wood” and tūn meaning “farmstead,” “enclosure,” or “settlement.” In literal terms, the name points to a farm or village located by or in a wood.
History
As a surname, Wooten developed from people identified by their home village, especially from places named Wootton in England. The spelling varied widely in records, producing forms such as Wooton and Wootten. The name later became established as a hereditary surname and spread beyond Britain through migration, especially to North America.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Wootton is a very common English place-name element, so several unrelated families could independently end up with the surname Wooten or its variants.
From the historical record
“WOOTEN WOOTON WOOTTEN for Wootton, q.v. WOOTTON (Eng.) Bel. to Wootton (common), the A.-Sax. Wudutun = the Farmstead”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)