Given name & surname
Houghton
“from the town on the headland”
Houghton is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the town on the headland.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the town on the headland.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1916. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Houghton through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 21
- 21 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 6 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2013. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 6 in 1920. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 10,810 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Houghton’s family of names
Houghton has a related form in Hough. Houghton has a related form in Houghtan. Houghton has a related form in Houghten.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Houghton, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Halton
“from the manor on the hill”
>99% boys
Hilton
“a wealthy woman” · “from the town on the hill”
85% boys · 15% girls
Harden
“from the hare's valley”
>99% boys
Newton
“from the new town”
>99% boys
Homer
“a tomboyish woman” · “of the pledge; an epic poet”
>99% boys
Halstead
“from the manor grounds”
>99% boys
Weldon
“from the hill near a spring”
>99% boys
Burton
“from the fortified town”
>99% boys