Leighton as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Leighton

What is the meaning of the name Leighton ?

The baby name Leighton is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈleɪtən/ (LAY-tən).

Leighton is English in Origin.

Leighton is an English surname-turned-given name deriving from several Old English place-names. Its elements are commonly parsed as leah/ley (“meadow, clearing”) + tun (“enclosure, settlement”), yielding “settlement by the meadow.” In some locales the first element is leac (“leek, herb garden”), giving the parallel sense “farm with a leek garden.” The name attaches to villages such as Leighton Buzzard and Leighton (Shropshire), from which the surname spread in medieval records.

As a forename, Leighton entered use in the 19th century with the vogue for surnames and today reads as a modern unisex choice - long established for boys in Britain and more recently popular for girls in North America, aided by actress Leighton Meester. Common variants include Layton and Leyton; rarer spellings are Leiton and Lleyton. Short forms and nicknames include Leigh and Lee.