CATTON

The surname Catton is of English origin and is a locational name derived from a number of settlements in the British Isles. It is traditionally associated with the counties of Derbyshire, Norfolk, the East Riding of Yorkshire, the North Riding of Yorkshire and, in some sources, with Northumberland, Devonshire and Lancashire.

According to the linguistic evidence, the name is built from the Old English word catt, meaning wildcat, and tun, meaning enclosure or settlement. Thus the original sense of the name was a reference to a place where wildcats were common or to a settlement that was so situated that it was likened to a wildcat enclosure.

Alternative explanations for the root are also documented. In certain versions the first element is the pre-7th Century personal name Catta or the Old Norse name Kati, so that the place name means “Catta’s or Kati’s settlement.” In Northumberland the place name Catton was recorded as Cattenden in the 1229 Black Book of Hexham, where the elements catt and denu (valley) combine to give “wild cat valley.”

The Domesday Book of 1086 contains several entries that support the origin of the name. The Derbyshire Catton is recorded as Chetun, the Norfolk Catton as Catetuna and the Yorkshire Cattons as Cattune and Catune. The Lancashire Catton appears as Catun and is interpreted as “Cada’s settlement.” The Devonshire Catton is found in the 1339 Subsidy Rolls as Cadetone.

Both the surname Catton and its variant Caton have survived into modern times. The earliest recorded spelling that can be verified is that of Robert de Catton dated 1273, which appears in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk during the reign of King Edward I, known as “The Hammer of the Scots,” 1272‑1307.

Marriages in London in the late sixteenth century provide additional early references to the name. On 2 March 1569 a marriage licence was issued for Agnes Catton (formerly Catton) to Thomas Stevens at St. James’ Clerkenwell. Another licence is recorded for Thomas Catton and Margaret Kedwor, issued at St. Dunstan’s, Stepney, London, on 6 December 1585.

A coat of arms has been granted to the Catton family. The blazon consists of a black shield bearing a gold bend between three silver owls with gold members; the crest is a silver horned owl. Such heraldic devices were often adopted to signify status and heritage in the early modern period.

In contemporary usage the surname remains relatively uncommon but is still found in England and in former colonies where English surnames have dispersed. The locational nature of the name means that its bearers often trace their ancestry back to one of the original Catton settlements in northern England.

Typical given names associated with the Catton surname

Male

• Andrew
• David
• James
• John
• Mark
• Michael
• Paul
• Peter
• Richard
• Robert

Female

• Catherine
• Emma
• Janet
• Joanne
• Laura
• Louise
• Margaret
• Mary
• Michelle
• Patricia
• Sarah
• Susan
• Suzanne

Similar and related surnames

Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.

How to communicate the surname Catton in...

Braille

⠉⠁⠞⠞⠕⠝

Morse

-.-..-------.

Semaphore

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

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