Meaning & Origin
A number of places in England: An undefined locality in Idridgehay and Alton parish, Amber Valley district, Derbyshire, around Alton Hall and Alton Manor. A town and civil parish with a town council in East Hampshire district, Hampshire . A village and civil parish in Staffordshire Moorlands district, Staffordshire; Alton Towers is to the north . A civil parish west of Pewsey, Wiltshire, which includes the villages of Alton Barnes and Alton Priors. A hamlet in Figheldean parish, Wiltshire .
Alton is a boy's and girl's baby name of Old English origin, from the English place name meaning 'old town' or 'source of the river,' from the Old English elements ald (old) and tun (settlement). It has been used as a given name in England and America since the 19th century.
Alton has a warm, mid-century American quality — the name of grandfathers, jazz musicians (Alton Ellis was a reggae legend), and Midwest mayors. It's been quietly persistent in American naming, carrying a solid, unpretentious character that ages extremely well.