FELTON
The surname Felton is securely established as an English nominal tradition, arising from a myriad of locational references within the British Isles.
In medieval times the name was typically ascribed to a person who dwelt near a prominent hill, a field or a fen, reflecting the Old English words feld – an open country or pasture – and tun – an enclosure or settlement. Consequently, Felton may be interpreted as a topographic or locational surname meaning ‘settlement in open country’ or ‘dweller on the hill’.
Several English places bear the name Felton: in Herefordshire, Shropshire and Somerset (near Winford) the element feld is joined to tun, whereas the Somerset village known as Felton near Winford incorporates the pre‑7th century word filiethe meaning hay. A different Felton appears in Northumberland, where the initial element derives from the previous personal name Fygla, a variant of fugol (‘bird’). Each of these places served as a source for the surname as it spread across England.
The earliest surviving documentary reference to the name dates from 1208–1209, when a legal plea in the King’s Court records the name of Adam de Felton. This appearance confirms that the surname was in use at least by the early thirteenth century.
Further mentions in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries illustrate the continued presence of the surname: Richard de Felton is recorded in 1301–1302 in the Feet of Fines for Surrey, and Ranulph Feltone is found in 1413 within the Coroners Rolls of Staffordshire. The parish register of St. Stephen’s, Coleman Street in London records the marriage of Elysabeth Felton to John Edwardys on 31 July 1547, and St. Margaret’s, Westminster notes the union of Ellen Felton with John Machell on 31 August 1572.
In the post‑Medieval period the surname continued to flourish across the West Midlands of England and the eastern counties. By the early modern era it had become widespread in the United States, with colonies receiving immigrants bearing the name in the 1600s. Contemporary census data sustain this legacy: in the United States the surname is held by nearly fifteen thousand individuals (U.S. Census Bureau 2020), primarily in the Midwest, and in the United Kingdom a 2020 study recorded over one thousand individuals, mainly in Yorkshire, Kent, Durham and Lincolnshire, with smaller numbers in London and other urban areas.
Over the centuries a number of orthographic variants have emerged, including Felten, Feltyn, Feltan, Feltner and Feltyne; earlier forms such as Feldon, Feltone and Fildon appear in medieval records. Surnames sharing the same geographical derivation include Feltwell, Feltwood, Feltham, Felshaw, Feltis, Feltom and Feltombe.
The name Felton has long been regarded as associated with qualities such as diligence, independence and loyalty, and it has enjoyed respect across generations in both Britain and the United States.
Typical given names associated with the Felton surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Diana
- Emma
- Helen
- Jane
- Julie
- Karen
- Linda
- Margaret
- Michelle
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Sharon
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Felten
- Feltham
- Feldon
- Felt
- Falton
- Falden
- Faldon
- Fallodown
- Falodun
- Faltin
- Faltyn
- Faulton
- Feilden
- Felden
- Felon
- Felston
- Feltimo
- Feltin
- Feltoe
- Feltom
- Fielden
- Fieldian
- Fieldin
- Fieldon
- Filden
- Filldion
- Filten
- Filton
- Fladden
- Flatan
- Flaten
- Flaton
- Flatten
- Fleeton
- Fletton
- Flitten
- Flitton
- Flodden
- Floden
- Flodin
- Flowden
- Fluden
- Fluton
- Folden
- Foltan
- Foltin
- Folton
- Foltyn
- Foltynie
- Foulden
- Foulton
- Fulden
- Fuldon
- Fuliton
- Fullaton
- Fulleton
- Fulliton
- Fullton
- Fultan
- Fulton
- Phelton
- Philton
- Valaitiene
- Valatin
- Valayden
- Valden
- Valdini
- Valdonio
- Valetine
- Vallotton
- Valton
- Velden
- Veldon
- Velten
- Velton
- Vilton
- Volodin
- Volodina
- Voulden
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Felton in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 4,803 people named Felton in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,963rd most common surname in Britain. Around 74 in a million people in Britain are named Felton.
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 Felton
- Tom Felton - Actor and singer
- Felix Felton - Actor (1911 to 1972)
- Monica Felton - (1906 to 1970)
- Norman Felton - American television producer (1913 to 2012)
- George E. Felton - Computer scientist (1921 to 2019)
- Nigel Felton - Cricketer
- Teddy Felton - Football player (1907 to 1)
- Billy Felton - Football player (1900 to 1977)
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.