Daulton

Meaning & origin

Daulton is a modern respelling of the surname Dalton, which itself derives from an Old English place name meaning 'valley town'. The name first appeared in U.S. Social Security records in 1916, but it never entered widespread use. Its peak year was 1994, after which its popularity has steadily declined, a trend that has continued for decades. As of 2025, Daulton does not rank among the top 1000 names and approximates a 1 in 100,000 occurrence rate. The name's trajectory reflects the typical arc of a creative spelling that enjoyed a brief spike during the 1990s surname-as-first-name trend. While no U.S. states recorded Daulton in their top names, it remains a distinctive choice for parents seeking a variant of the more common Dalton.

Daulton emerged as a respelled variant of the English surname Dalton, which derives from Old English dæl 'valley' and tūn 'enclosure, settlement'. The spelling with 'au' likely reflects a phonetic variation or regional pronunciation. Records for Daulton as a given name begin in the early 20th century, but it remained extremely rare until the 1990s, when it saw a surge in popularity.