Atherton
An English habitational surname from Atherton in Lancashire, meaning a person from that place.
The #5,382 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 47,749 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Atherton is a habitational surname taken from Atherton in Lancashire. The place name is usually explained from Old English elements meaning something like 'Aethelhere's estate' or 'settlement by the hedge/enclosure,' though the exact earliest form is debated in older sources. In surname use, it simply identified someone who came from or was associated with that locality.
History
Medieval records show the name in Lancashire fairly early, and one Robert de Atherton is noted in 13th-century sources as sheriff of Lancashire. The surname later spread beyond northern England and appears in early records in North America, including colonial-era passenger lists. It remains most strongly associated with England and especially Lancashire.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The Atherton family name was already established enough in medieval Lancashire to appear in official county office-holding records.
From the historical record
“ATCOCK. See Arthur. ATHERTON. A chapelry in Lanca- shire. ATTHILL See Hill. ATKEY. At the key or quay. ATKIN. ATKINS. ATKINSON. See Arthur. ATLEE. ATLEY. See Lee. ATMORE. See Moore.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom