Britton

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A surname of English origin, and also a given name, borne by many people across England and North America
2. An English family name and personal name, derived from the medieval term for a person from Brittany
3. A personal name and surname of English origin, used for both men and women in several English-speaking countries

Etymology: Britton is mainly a surname and given name, and it descends from the name of the Celtic-speaking people of the island of Britain. Latin writers called them "Brittones", and that root gave Old French "Bretun" and later Middle English "Briton". The "-ton" spelling is a variant that English scribes and families used, much as they did with many other names written down by ear. The same name also crossed the sea. In the fifth and sixth centuries, migrants from Britain settled the peninsula of Armorica, which became Brittany, and the region took its name from them. The French "Breton" and the English "Briton" are therefore the same name, split by the Channel and by the centuries.