Morton as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Morton

What is the meaning of the name Morton ?

The baby name Morton is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈmɔːrtən/ (MOR-tən).

Morton is English in Origin.

Morton is an English and Scottish habitational surname-turned-given-name derived from Old English mor (“moor, marsh”) + tun (“enclosure, farm, settlement”). It denoted someone from one of the many places called Morton - literally “settlement by the moor” or “marsh town” - found across England and Lowland Scotland. The name traveled with migrants and was adopted as a first name in Anglophone countries.

As a given name, Morton rose in the late 19th century and saw steady American use into the mid-20th century before slipping into rarity, now read as tailored and vintage. Variant spellings include Moreton; the Scots form Mortoun appears in medieval records. Common short forms are Mort and Morty. It is unrelated to Mortimer (from a Norman place-name) and to Scandinavian Morten (a form of Martin). Notable bearers include composers Morton Gould and Morton Feldman and broadcaster Morton Downey Jr.; the Scottish title Earl of Morton reflects the same toponymic origin.