Where does “Clayton” come from?

Clayton is a place name derived from Middle English Claytone, from Old English clǣġ meaning clay, combined with tōn meaning settlement, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European gel- meaning to freeze or congeal.

Clayton (English): A placename

Definitions

  1. A placename

Ancestry of “Clayton”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishClaytone—
2Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
3Proto-West Germanictūnfence
4Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
5Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
6Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
7Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “Clayton”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →Every word from Proto-Celtic dūnom →Every word from Gaulish dunum →