Where does “Alton” come from?
Alton derives from Old English ǣwell, a compound of ǣ (water) and well (spring or stream).
Ancestry of “Alton”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 4 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 5 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |