Dutton

Dutton is an English surname taken from place names. Depending on the place, its first element may refer to a hill or to the personal name Dodd, while the ending comes from an old word for a settlement or enclosure. Those alternatives describe different place-name histories, not two simultaneous literal meanings for every family bearing the surname.

The fictional Dutton family in the television drama Yellowstone brought the surname particular visibility as a first-name choice. That modern association can explain its western image, although the name itself originated in England rather than on an American ranch. Sutton is a similar-looking surname name, but its separate first element means it should not be treated as a spelling variant.