Newton

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 3 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other recorded senses●

Newton is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In English, from one or other of the many places of this name; first attested Alward de Niwetuna 1066 DB (Nf)

  as a name·A Dictionary of English Surnames

• Mainly U.S.: transferred use of the surname, in origin a local name from any of the very numerous places so called from Old English néowe ‘new’ + tin ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’. This is said to be the commonest of all English place names. The most famous bearer of the surname is probably Sir Isaac Newton (1642- 1727), the English scientist. Short form: Newt.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

• In English, habitational name from any of the many places so named, from Old English neowe ‘new’ -t- tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’. According to Ekwall, this is the commonest English place name. For this reason, the surname has a highly fragmented origin.

  as a name·Dictionary of American Family Names

• In English, places so called, from OE neowe New + tun enclosure, settlement. According to Ekwall, this is the commonest Eng. placename. For this reason, the surname has a highly fragmented origin.

  as a name·A dictionary of surnames

• In English, In the International System of Units, the derived unit of force; the force required to accelerate a mass of one kilogram by one metre per second per second. Symbol: N.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 146 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Isaac Newtonb. 1642GBEnglish mathematician and physicist (1642–1727)
• John Newtonb. 1725GBAnglican clergyman, slave trader and abolitionist (1725–1807)
• Gilbert Newton Lewisb. 1875USAmerican physical chemist
• Robert Newtonb. 1905GBEnglish stage and film actor (1905-1956)
• Murray Rothbardb. 1926USnot in their usual nameAmerican economist (1926–1995)
• Wayne Newtonb. 1942USAmerican singer and entertainer
• Huey Newtonb. 1942USCo-founder of the Black Panther Party (1942-1989)
• Newton Thomas Sigelb. 1955USAmerican cinematographer
• Thandie Newtonb. 1972GBEnglish actress (born 1972)
• Kathryn Newtonb. 1997USAmerican actress

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 493 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Newton?

We estimate roughly 76 thousand people bear Newton (counting its spellings and scripts) across 18 countries in our records.

In which country does Newton have the most bearers?

Newton is most frequently recorded in Canada, where it is most often spelled newton.

What does the name Newton mean?

Recorded meaning: Person from Newton, a place name meaning ‘new farmstead’.