Clinton

Clinton is an English surname that developed from place names. Its ending belongs to the familiar Old English element for a settlement or enclosure, while the earlier part depends on the particular place involved. The popular summary “hilltop town” captures one landscape interpretation, but it should not be treated as the only documented source of the surname.

The name also has a long history as a first name, independent of any one political family. In modern American life, the surname of Bill and Hillary Clinton is an immediate association for many readers. Clint provides a short form with a separate life of its own. A family choosing Clinton may be preserving an ancestral surname, a place connection, or an established given name.