Akhenaton m Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
ꜣḫ-n-jtn meaning
"effective for Aton". Akhenaton was a 14th-century BC Egyptian pharaoh of the New Kingdom, who is best known for promoting the monotheistic worship of the sun god
Aton. He changed his name from
Amenhotep in order to honour the god. After his death, polytheism resumed.
Alton m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"town at the source of the river" in Old English.
Anton m German, Russian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Dutch, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Slovene, Slovak, Macedonian, Croatian, Romanian, Estonian, Finnish, Georgian, EnglishForm of
Antonius (see
Anthony) used in various languages. A notable bearer was the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov (1860-1904).
Ashton m & f English (Modern)From an English surname, itself derived from a place name meaning
"ash tree town" in Old English. This was a rare masculine name until the 1980s, when it gradually began becoming more common for both genders. Inspired by the female character Ashton Main from the 1985 miniseries
North and South, parents in America gave it more frequently to girls than boys from 1986 to 1997. Since then it has been overwhelmingly masculine once again, perhaps due in part to the fame of the actor Ashton Kutcher (1978-).
Aston m & f English (Rare)From a surname that was originally derived from either a place name meaning "east town" in Old English or from the given name
Æðelstan.
Aton m Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
jtn meaning
"solar disk". Aton was an Egyptian god of the sun, depicted as a solar disk with long rays extending downwards. The worship of Aton was especially extensive during the 14th-century BC reign of the pharaoh
Akhenaton, who proclaimed Aton was the only god.
Benton m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from a place name, composed of Old English
beonet "bent grass" and
tun "enclosure".
Boston m EnglishFrom the American city of Boston in Massachusetts, itself named after a town in Lincolnshire, England. The town's name is said to mean "
Botwulf's stone".
Braxton m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"Bracca's town" in Old English. In some cases it is given in honour of the Confederate general Braxton Bragg (1817-1876).
Brenton m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from an English place name meaning
"Bryni's town".
Bryni was an Old English name meaning "fire".
Britton m EnglishDerived from a Middle English surname meaning
"a Briton" (a Celt of England) or
"a Breton" (an inhabitant of Brittany). Both ethnonyms are related to the place name
Britain.
Burton m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"fortified town" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was Richard Burton (1821-1890), an explorer of Africa and Asia.
Charlton m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally from a place name meaning
"settlement of free men" in Old English.
Clayton m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from various English place names, all meaning
"clay settlement" in Old English.
Clifton m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"settlement by a cliff" in Old English.
Clinton m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from towns named
Glinton, of uncertain meaning, or
Glympton, meaning
"settlement on the River Glyme". A famous bearer of the surname is former American president Bill Clinton (1946-).
Colton m English (Modern)From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"Cola's town". It started being used as a given name in the 1980s. Likely in some cases it was viewed as an elaborated or full form of
Cole or
Colt.
Creighton m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name, originally from Gaelic
crioch "border" combined with Old English
tun "town".
Crofton m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"town with a small enclosed field" in Old English.
Dalton m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"valley town" in Old English. A notable bearer of the surname was John Dalton (1766-1844), the English chemist and physicist who theorized about the existence of atoms.
Dayton m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from places named
Deighton, meaning
"ditch town" in Old English. Dayton is also the name of a city in Ohio. As a given name, it gained a bit of popularity in the 1990s, probably because it shares a similar sound with names such as
Peyton and
Clayton.
Denton m EnglishFrom a surname, originally from a place name, which meant
"valley town" in Old English.
Easton m English (Modern)From an English surname that was derived from place names meaning
"east town" in Old English.
Elton m English, Portuguese (Brazilian), Albanian, Swedish (Modern)From an English surname that was originally from a place name meaning
"Ella's town". A famous bearer of this name is British musician Elton John (1947-), born Reginald Dwight, who adopted his stage name in honour of his former bandmate Elton Dean (1945-2006).
Fenton m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally taken from a place name meaning
"marsh town" in Old English.
Fulton m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from the name of the town of Foulden in Norfolk, itself meaning
"bird hill" in Old English.
Gaston m FrenchPossibly from a Germanic name derived from the element
gast meaning
"guest, stranger". This is the usual French name for Saint
Vedastus, called
Vaast in Flemish. The name was also borne by several counts of Foix-Béarn, beginning in the 13th century.
Hamilton m EnglishFrom a Scottish and English surname that was derived from Old English
hamel "crooked, mutilated" and
dun "hill". The surname was originally taken from the name of a town in Leicestershire, England (which no longer exists). A famous bearer of the surname was Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), a founding father of the United States who was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr.
Houston m EnglishFrom a Scottish surname meaning "
Hugh's town". The original Houston is in Scotland near Glasgow, but this is also the name of a city in Texas, named after the Texas president Sam Houston (1793-1863).
Kenton m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from an English place name meaning either "town on the River Kenn" or "royal town" in Old English.
Kingston m English (Modern)From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"king's town" in Old English. This name rose significantly on the popularity charts after musicians Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale used it for their son born 2006.
Langston m EnglishFrom an English surname, itself from a place name, derived from Old English
lang "long" and
stan "stone". A famous bearer was the American author Langston Hughes (1901-1967).
Layton m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from the name of English towns meaning
"town with a leek garden" in Old English. Like similar-sounding names such as
Peyton and
Dayton, this name began rising in popularity in the 1990s.
Leighton f & m EnglishVariant of
Layton. It jumped in popularity as a feminine name after 2007, when actress Leighton Meester (1986-) began appearing on the television series
Gossip Girl.
Linton m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally from place names meaning either "flax town" or "linden tree town" in Old English.
Merton m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"town on a lake" in Old English.
Milton m English, Spanish (Latin American)From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"mill town" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was John Milton (1608-1674), the poet who wrote
Paradise Lost.
Morton m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"moor town" in Old English.
Newton m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"new town" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the English physicist Isaac Newton (1643-1727).
Norton m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"north town" in Old English.
Patton m English (Rare)From an English surname that was derived from a diminutive of
Patrick. A notable bearer of the surname was the American World War II general George S. Patton (1885-1945), who played an important part in the allied offensive in France.
Paxton m English (Modern)From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"Pœcc's town".
Pœcc is an Old English given name of unknown meaning.
Peyton f & m EnglishFrom an English surname, originally a place name meaning
"Pæga's town". This was a rare masculine name until the 1990s. In 1992 it was used for a female character in the movie
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, and, despite the fact that it was borne by the villain, the name began to rise in popularity for girls as well as boys.
... [more] Preston m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"priest town" (Old English
preost and
tun).
Princeton m English (Modern)From the name of the town or university in New Jersey. Established in the early 18th century, it is said to have been named for William III, the Prince of Orange.
Quinton m EnglishVariant of
Quentin, also coinciding with an English surname meaning "queen's town" in Old English.
Remington m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the name of the town of Rimington in Lancashire, itself meaning
"settlement on the Riming stream". It may be given in honour of the American manufacturer Eliphalet Remington (1793-1861) or his sons, founders of the firearms company that bears their name.
Royston m English (British)From a surname that was originally taken from an Old English place name meaning
"town of Royse". The given name
Royse was a medieval variant of
Rose.
Sefton m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"town in the rushes" in Old English.
Shelton m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"shelf town" in Old English.
Sutton f & m English (Modern)From a surname, itself derived from the name of numerous English towns, of Old English origin meaning
"south town".
Tatton m English (Rare)From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"Tata's town" in Old English.
Thornton m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"thorn town" in Old English.
Trenton m EnglishFrom the name of a New Jersey city established in the 17th century by William Trent. It means "
Trent's town".
Triton m Greek MythologyMeaning uncertain. It is possibly related to a root meaning
"the sea" (cognate with Old Irish
trethan). Alternatively it could be connected to Greek
τρεῖς (treis) meaning
"three" (ordinal form
τρίτος). In Greek mythology Triton was the son of
Poseidon and
Amphitrite. He was often depicted as a merman, half-human and half-fish. The largest of Neptune's moons is named after him.
Upton m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"upper town" in Old English. A famous bearer of this name was the American novelist Upton Sinclair (1878-1968).
Walton m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally taken from various Old English place names meaning
"stream town",
"wood town", or
"wall town".
Washington m English, Spanish (Latin American), Portuguese (Brazilian)From a surname that was originally derived from the name of an English town, itself meaning
"settlement belonging to Wassa's people". The given name is usually given in honour of George Washington (1732-1799), commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and the first president of the United States.
Weston m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from a place name, itself from Old English
west "west" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Wilton m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from the names of several English towns. The town names mean variously "willow town", "well town" or "town on the River Wylye" in Old English. The river name is itself of Celtic origin, possibly meaning "tricky".
Winston m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from the Old English given name
Wynnstan. A famous bearer was Winston Churchill (1874-1965), the British prime minister during World War II. This name was also borne by the fictional Winston Smith, the protagonist in George Orwell's 1949 novel
1984.
Winton m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"enclosure belonging to Wine" in Old English.