Thornton Name Meaning
English and Scottish: habitational name from any of numerous places throughout England and Scotland so called from Old English thorn ‘thorn tree’ + tūn ‘farmstead estate’. The placename is most frequent in northern England especially Yorkshire where there are at least 16 possible sources for the surname. Irish: Anglicized (translated) form of Gaelic Mac Sceacháin ‘son of Sceachán’ (see Skehan ). Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Draighneáin ‘descendant of Draighneán’ (see Drennan ). Irish: possibly a translated form of Gaelic Ó Muineacháin (see Monahan ).
Source:
Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022
Similar surnames:
Horton, Thorton, Houston, Thorington, Thurston, Charlton, Harton
From: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/learn/facts