Alton Family History

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Alton Name Meaning

English: habitational name from any of the many places called Alton, in Derbyshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire, and elsewhere. The origin 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 (tun) at the source (?wiell)’. 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) Eanwulf’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Elton, Alston, Aston, Talton, Dalton, Aiton, Halton, Calton, Walton

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Alton Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Alton name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Alton. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    53%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    20%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

  • Norway

    3%

  • France

    3%

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Alton Family Origin

Where is the Alton family from?

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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 the UK in 1891. In 1891 there were 220 Alton families living in Derbyshire. This was about 22% of all the recorded Alton's in the UK. Derbyshire had the highest population of Alton families in 1891.
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.

View Census Data for Alton

Alton Family Occupations

What did your Alton ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, a less common occupation for the Alton family was Annuitant. The most common Alton occupation in the UK was Coal Miner. 9% of Alton's were Coal Miners. Coal Miner, Farmer and Joiner were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Alton.

View Census data for Alton | Data not to scale

  • Coal Miner

    9%

  • Farmer

    8%

  • Joiner

    3%

  • Annuitant

    2%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Alton ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Alton Historical Records

What Alton family records will you find?

Census Record

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 1891 UK census records for Alton

Passenger List

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

View all Alton immigration records

Draft Card

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.

View all Alton military records

You've only scratched the surface of Alton family history.

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Alton Life Expectancy

What is the average Alton lifespan?

Between 1956 and 2004, in the United States, Alton life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1957, and highest in 1991. The average life expectancy for Alton in 1956 was 51, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Alton

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Alton ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Alton Family Ancestors

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