Last name: Walton

Recorded in the spellings of Walton and Wolton, this surname is of Olde English pre 7th Century habitational origins. It derives from either one of the various parishes called Walton, or from a "lost" medieval village somewhere in the south east of the country and called "Wolton", or from a topographical site with the suffix "tun" meaning a farm or hamlet plus one of the prefixes "wald" (a wood), or "walh", a farm worker or "walesc" - a foreigner. The latter is most interesting as it probably refers to somebody from the next village, although it could also mean a Saxon, Viking or even a Norman. The name may also derive from "weall-tun" which means a building of stone, a rare form in the pre Norman period before 1066. The early nameholders include such examples as Robertus de Woltan of the county of Kent, in 1274, and Izaak Walton (1593 - 1683), author and Royalist. Valentine Walton (1620 - 1661) was a son-in-law of Oliver Cromwell, and a signatory of the death warrant of King Charles 1st in 1649, whilst George Walton (1741 - 1804) was in 1776 a signatory of the American "Declaration of Independence". His grandfather had emigrated from England in 1682, although a John Walton is recorded in Virginia in 1623, one of the earliest of all settlers. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Odo de Wolton, of the county of Oxford. This was dated 1273, in the register known as "The Hundred Rolls", during the reign of King Edward 1st, 1272 - 1307. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Visitor Comments

Derrick
hello Im Derrick Walton , I would like to knwo more about the Walton side of the Family as i dont have know knowledge on my family History , as the Walton side has died down and i only have family from 1950 and they dont know very mcuh about The Walton ancestors :) i woudl love to know more , cause i live with the name Walton and i dotn knwo anything about them. if you could help me in anyway please email me i would really love that derrick_walton@hotmail.com thank you

Dawn Walton
Hi Derrick, I think there are a lot of branches on the Walton tree...for example my family traced ours back to 1837 where we found Harry Walton. however this was a dead end as he was french and it seems some kind of fugitive who changed his name to walton to avoid expulsion ! So I have no idea what my real name should be!

zac(zachary) walton
my mums called dawn walton

Dave Walton
Surely Walton derives from the Latin 'Walton(ia)' meaning criminal or social outcast?

P J Walton
There is no Walton branch as such, originally a place name. It is not an unusual surname. It is ranked the 132nd most common surname in England and Wales with almost 33,000 persons bearing the name. I am Philip James Walton, originally of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. I have only been able to trace back to my great grandfather. I have no record of anyone emigrating to the Americas in my family. I am the original author of this definition, but you will find it many places on the web.: 'Wal' meaning 'Ancient Briton' or 'Welsh', and 'ton' meaning town. 'Ton' is not Saxon but rather one of the few surviving Brythonic words in the English language. Several small Briton kingdoms or enclaves survived into the Anglo-Saxon era, notably Elmet which would roughly correspond to Leeds in Yorkshire and it's western environs. There are several small settlements in this area bearing the name 'Walton' This definition is accepted by most scholars today.

Kurt Walton
It is also a very common surname in the United States, as you might imagine. Apparently, it's ranked the 378th. It must feel somewhat strange to be from a place so many Americans have so much reverence for. To us, many things about Britain seem frozen in time. It's really incredible. I have indeed read that 'Wal' was originally from 'wael' or 'walesc' as you put it and meant "foreigner", but I also read that it took on that meaning because it was what Anglo-Saxon immigrants called native Britons. So, the Anglo-Saxons weren't considered 'wael', even though they were essentially foreigners. It was the other way around. The "wael" were not foreigners, but natives. They supposedly moved westward to escape the influx of Anglo-Saxons and eventually became the nation of Wales. I think your definition should mention this.

Ray Walton
I didn't notice the replay button Philip and I left a general message about my mob of Walton's from Pudsey, West Yorkshire wondering if there might be a connection?

P J Walton
You're right Kurt, absolutely. I'll revise my definition with your additions. Somethings in England do indeed seem to be frozen in time, at the same time other things have undergone huge transformations: some influenced by America, or our former colonies; others entirely home-grown. Here's a thought: Whenever, I think of myself as a 'Walton', I also realize that I am many other surnames at the same time. Only one of my grandparents was a Walton - one fourth. If I go back 10 generations, about 250 years (taking the average generation as 25 years), then I have only one Walton ancestor out of 1024, making me .098% Walton. Until I consider almost 2000 ancestors, the chances of multiple separate Walton progenitors are low. If we consider 20 generations, that would take us back to 1510 AD, I would have possibly 550 Walton ancestors out of over a million ancestors.

Kurt Walton
Indeed, PJ. Very astute thinking. In the United States, we like to be able to think we can say "my ancestors are from [insert name of country]", but really the farther you look into your own ancestry, you realize they're not just from one place. My grandparents' surnames are Carden, Walton, Wood, and Edwards. While those are all basically English, my grandfather's mother's surname was Carmichael, which is more-or-less Scottish. And many Cardens actually came from Ireland (where they immigrated to from England). So, the further back you go the more you realize that you are a mishmash of different ancestries. We all are. The furthest I can trace my ancestry on my mother's side is a gentleman named "Mueller" from Germany who came to the United States in the 1780's. And who knows what *his* lineage was? So, while its easy to say my ancestry is from the England due to my grandparents' surnames, it's nothing more than a simplification. Although I can't say I have a problem with this simplification, necessarily. I also like the way we do naming. While 'Walton' may just be a label, I like that it's something handed down to me (and all of us!) over so many generations. It would truly be a tragedy if we simply come up with surnames the way we do first names.

Raymond Walton
Yes I also agree with your reflection on names. I also believe we should inherit our surname from our mothers maiden names, we would then be certain of the right line of blood, for we may be called Waltons but we may be the result of a misdeed committed by Smith, or Jones(no disprespect to he bearers of these names intended) or whatever may have taken place in the history of our families.

Mark Walton
Going back to the early 1800s, my branch of the family appear to be clustered around Stone in Staffordshire, England. From the early 19th Century until early 20th, my father's ancestors were locksmiths in the Black Country (Willenhall), then moving to the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham mid-1800s.

tim walton
hi, my grandfather charles walton born 1880 journeyman silversmith Derby and the other waltons lived in birmingham.my name timothy hugh walton dob 9-6-46

Kendion Walton
Hi, my name is Kendion DeShawn Walton. I'm a black male in the states, who knows nothin of his ancestory. Family married into the name, but I carry it an would like to know more.

alfred.walton@sky.com
hi im alfred walton my family tree dates back to 1588 in bridgenorth then on to birmingham to present day

Mark Walton
Hi Alfred - 1588 eh. Brilliant you've managed to trace back that far. I currently live in bridgnorth so especially interesting. Do you know what the Waltons did back then in Bridgnorth - farmers or whatever?

alfred
hi mark email me your email address will forward you in fo on waltons of bridgenorth all the best alfred

Mark Walton
HI Alfred, Thanks for the offer of info on Waltons from Bridgnorth - Regards, quillfiller@hotmail.com

Graham Walton
Alfred, I know my ancestors were from Bridgnorth, George Walton came to Australia in 1855.Would love your info .wongantel@hotmail.com

alfred
hello graham i will email info for you to access my family tree regards alfred

Graham Walton
Hi Mark, I'm Graham Walton from Wongan Hills Western Australia. My GGgrandfather was George, married to Sarah (Culwick) migrated to Aust in 1855.

Mark Walton
Thanks for getting in touch, Graham. The Walton diaspora is certainly spread far and wide.

Graham
Sorry Mark,didnt have room to say that my ancestor George was from Brignorth

Ray Walton
I'm interested to learn more from Phillip James Walton, Leeds, West Yorkshire. My mob came from Pudsey, West Yorkshire between 1910 and 1912 to South Australia so I'm wondering if there might be a connection? Great Grandfather was William Walton Journeyman Clothier who married Hannah Hainsworth, Weaver and they had 5 children. 3 of them and their families and Hannah migrated.

Ray Walton
I could not see your name and not respond. My wife and I are traveling to England this fall where I am going to play golf at Walton Heath and later stay in Walton Castle in Clevedon. I live in the US and have no idea what my ancestry might be.

Philip James Walton
Hi Ray, nice to hear fromyou. My great, great-grandfather was also a William Walton but there is no record of his wife. My great-grandfather was George Willaim Walton married to one Ada Ward. There is a strong chance we may be related. I'm continuing my search. I'll let you know whenever I uncover anything. Allmy Walton ancestors are from somewhere in or around Leeds (Stouton, Burmatofs, Woodlesford, Rothwell, Bramley and others) Stay in touch. All the best to you Ray.

Dianne Walton
Hi my dad was Derrick Walton,my Grandfather Harry Walton all from Pudsey. We emmigrated in 1971 to South Africa

Philip James Walton
My grandfather had only sisters. My great-granddad had brothers, but I have not been able to trace their descendents yet. Working on it. All the best Dianne

Amanda Nicole Walton
I'm interested in my family history as well, due to the fact that the Walton in my family is my father, and his father before him was Native American ... I wish that I had a family tree list so I could find out more about my ancestors, but unfortunately, my family has not kept a family tree intact.

Phil walton
Dear Amanda, my fellow Walton, -- you are not alone. My whole family is very dismissive of genealogy and family history except for a distant aunt (and myself) who has worked very hard with almost no thanks from any of the rest of us. We do have distant relatives in the USA, but so far no Waltons that we know of. If we discover anything, I'll let you know. There are about 33,000 people with the surname Walton in England and Wales. It ranks as the 132nd most common surname. By the way, fascinatingly, I once met a woman in North Wales who was a direct descendant of Pocohontas. i lost contact with her unfortunately, it was in the days before the internet.

Micheline Walton-Waterman
Hello, I am a black Barbadian born as a Walton. I wonder if anyone here has any information on the Waltons of Barbados,

Mandy Walton
this is so interesting!

sarah walton
HI, my fathers family were romany gypsys. i am interested in trying to find out more about my familys origin on my fahters side. my father and his grandfather were born in london and my grandfather was born a true romany. i remember my great grandmother, Britania, but was only 10 when she died at 100, and because we did not live local was not able to find out more about her way of life.

Phil Walton
Hi Sarah,. My grandmother Walton (nee Foster) told us that our family is descended from Romany Gypsies too. I wonder if we are linked in any way?

sarah walton
hi phil it is always possible. my great grandmother & grand father lived in a horse drawn wagon on hampstead heath, north london. i have my grand fathers birth certificate dated 1908 but not much else. unfortunatly my grandfather was an only child and is no longer here.

Phil Walton
What was your grandfather's surname, Sarah?

Phil Walton
Btw, do any of you Waltons believe this 'Walton clan' and 'Walton coat of arms' stuff? Sorry it sounds contrived and like rackettering to me. My apologies if there actually exists a noble 'Walton clan'. I seriously doubt it though. Don't be gullible, folks!