Eaton surname meaning

Eaton is an English habitational surname from any of various places called Eaton or Eton—such as Eaton Socon in Bedfordshire, Eaton in Cheshire, or Eton in Buckinghamshire. The place-names combine Old English ēa, “river,” or ēg, “island” or low-lying land, with tūn, “enclosure” or “settlement.” Someone who moved from such a place could take Eaton as a surname, so different families need not share one ancestor. Eton, Eyton, and Eaten are related spellings. Place is high confidence because the settlement etymology is consistently documented.