CALTON
Calton is a locational surname of English origin, traditionally linked to settlements within the British Isles. The surname is notably found in the counties of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Yorkshire and Warwickshire, although lesser sites that are now lost may once have borne the name.
The name is derived from the Old English elements cald, meaning “cold”, and tun, meaning “enclosure” or “settlement”. Consequently, the meaning of Calton can be interpreted as “dweller at the cold settlement” or “one who comes from the cold enclosure”. An alternative interpretation mentioned in earlier sources connects the original spelling calu-tun with the concept of a “calf farm”, describing a place where calves were reared.
Early evidence for the surname appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a John de Caltun is recorded in Derbyshire during the reign of King Edward the First. Subsequent spellings include Calton, Caltun, Caulton, Calltone and Calyton, reflecting the fluid orthography of the medieval period and the movement of individuals across distances.
Documentary references from the final quarter of the fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries provide further insight. In London, a marriage in 1582 between an Ales Calton and John James of St Mary Aldermary, and a christening in 1593 of Arthur Caulton at St Andrew Undershaft, illustrate the persistence of the name in urban settings beyond its rural origin.
The coat of arms granted in Derbyshire in the reign of King Henry V contains a black field, a saltire engrailed, and four gold cross crosslets. This heraldic description provides a visual symbol that has been associated with the Calton family from the early sixteenth century.
Today the surname remains mainly confined to England, frequently appearing in genealogical records pertaining to the Midlands. Its etymological roots and the consistent recording across centuries make it a clear example of an early English locational surname that has survived into the modern era.
Typical given names associated with the Calton surname
Male
- Andrew
- Anthony
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Matthew
- Michael
- Paul
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Anita
- Caroline
- Catherine
- Christine
- Ea
- Emily
- Janet
- Joan
- Lisa
- Louise
- Margaret
- Patricia
- Rachel
- Ruby
- Sharon
Similar and related surnames
- Cailton
- Caladine
- Caldana
- Calden
- Caldin
- Caldine
- Caldon
- Caledon
- Calidine
- Calladene
- Calladin
- Calladine
- Calldine
- Callidine
- Callton
- Calodine
- Calon
- Calston
- Calt
- Caltin
- Calto
- Caltow
- Calyton
- Carleton
- Carlton
- Catlon
- Caulton
- Claden
- Cladon
- Claiden
- Claidon
- Claton
- Clatton
- Claudin
- Claudine
- Claudino
- Claudon
- Clayden
- Claydon
- Clayten
- Clayton
- Cleaton
- Cleden
- Cledwyn
- Cleeton
- Cleton
- Cleuton
- Clewton
- Cleydon
- Cleyton
- Clouden
- Clouton
- Clowton
- Cluton
- Clutten
- Clutton
- Clyden
- Clyton
- Coalton
- Colden
- Coldon
- Coleton
- Colladin
- Colladine
- Collatin
- Colleton
- Colliton
- Colloton
- Collton
- Coltan
- Colten
- Colton
- Colyton
- Coulden
- Couldon
- Coultan
- Coulten
- Coulton
- Culleton
- Culliton
- Culloden
- Culloton
- Culten
- Culton
- Galatin
- Galdeano
- Galden
- Galdon
- Galetin
- Galton
- Gaulden
- Gauldin
- Gaulton
- Gladan
- Gladden
- Gladdin
- Gladdon
- Gladen
- Gladin
- Gladion
- Gladun
- Gladwyn
- Glayden
- Glayton
- Gleaden
- Gleadon
- Gleaton
- Gledden
- Gleddon
- Gledon
- Glidden
- Gliddin
- Gliddon
- Gliden
- Glidon
- Glidoon
- Glodean
- Gloudon
- Glydon
- Goldan
- Golden
- Goldin
- Goldine
- Goldon
- Goldoni
- Goldwyn
- Goldyn
- Golten
- Golton
- Goolden
- Gooldin
- Goulden
- Gouldin
- Gouldon
- Goulton
- Gualdoni
- Guelton
- Guilden
- Guillotin
- Guilloton
- Gulden
- Gulton
- Kaladeen
- Kaldani
- Kaldun
- Kaliton
- Kalton
- Keldon
- Kelton
- Kilden
- Kildin
- Kildon
- Kildun
- Kildunne
- Kilowden
- Kilton
- Klaton
- Kleidon
- Kloeden
- Kolton
- Koltun
- Kullatein
- Quilton
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Calton in...
Braille
⠉⠁⠇⠞⠕⠝
Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 672 people named Calton in the UK. That makes it roughly the 9,992nd most common surname in Britain. Around ten in a million people in Britain are named Calton.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Calton
- Patsy Calton - Politician (1948 to 2005)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.