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Alton Family History

Alton Surname Meaning

English:: habitational name from any of the many places called Alton in Derbyshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire, and elsewhere. The origin of the placename is various: Alton in Derbyshire and Alton Grange in Leicestershire probably have as their first element Old English (e)ald ‘old’.

Those in Hampshire, Dorset, and Wiltshire are at the sources of rivers and are named in Old English as ‘settlement (tūn) at the river source (ǣwiell)’. Others derive from various Old English personal names; for example, the one in Staffordshire is formed with an unattested personal name Ælfa and one in Worcestershire, Eanulfintun in 1023, is ‘settlement associated with (-ing) Ēanwulf’.

The surname may also be from Auton Stile in Durham Saint Oswalds (Durham), which is recorded as Altone c. 1200. variant of Olton. Compare Allton.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Alton family from?

You can see how Alton families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Alton family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Alton families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 257 Alton families living in Ontario. This was about 69% of all the recorded Alton's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Alton families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Alton surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Alton ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Alton. 47% of Alton men worked as a Farmer and 23% of Alton women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Alton were Clerk and Bookkeeper.

View Census Data for Alton | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    47%
  • Farmers Son
    8%
  • Labourer
    6%
  • Clerk
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Stenographer
    23%
  • Housekeeper
    17%
  • Clerk
    17%
  • Bookkeeper
    12%

What Alton family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 57,000 census records available for the last name Alton. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Alton census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Alton

Passenger Lists

There are 4,000 immigration records available for the last name Alton. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 12,000 military records available for the last name Alton. For the veterans among your Alton ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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