Given name & surname
Lawton
“from the town on the hill”
Lawton is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the town on the hill.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the town on the hill.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
Built from Old English hlāw (“hill, ound”) + tūn (“homestead”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1889. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Lawton through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,866
- 2,861 boys · 5 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 53 babies
- 2025
- 36
- #3,280 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −1%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 36 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,280 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 3.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Georgia had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,558 as a first name in 2020; 12,756 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.
Lawton’s family of names
Lawton has a related form in Lanton. Lawton has a related form in Lantun. Lawton has a related form in Laughton.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 14
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Lawton
- Lawton ChilesAmerican politician (1930–1998)
- Lawton S. ParkerAmerican impressionist painter (1868-1954)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Lawton, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Lawson
“the son of Lawrence”
96% boys · 4% girls
Hamilton
“a dreamer; one who is wishful” · “from the flat-topped hill”
>99% boys
Hampton
“from the home town”
85% boys · 15% girls
Yeison
Yeison is a given name from English. It is used in Spanish.
>99% boys
Landon
“from the long hill”
99% boys · 1% girls
Maicol
Maicol is a masculine given name from English. It is used in Portuguese.
>99% boys
Winston
“of the joy stone; from the friendly town”
99% boys · 1% girls
Maikol
Maikol is a given name from English. It is used in Spanish.
>99% boys