Clayton surname meaning

Clayton is an English habitational surname from any of numerous places called Clayton. The place-name combines Old English clæg, “clay,” with tūn, an enclosure, farm, or settlement, so the literal sense is “clay settlement.” Clayton families could therefore have acquired the surname independently in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Staffordshire, Sussex, and other regions. Claydon and historical spellings such as Claiton may overlap in records but do not automatically represent the same line. The catalog uses place with high confidence for the established geographic formation.