Dayton is an American place name turned first name: the Ohio city, hometown of the Wright brothers, was named for Jonathan Dayton, a signer of the Constitution. The surname goes back to English places called Deighton, from Old English for "ditch town". Dayton ranked number 562 in 2000, peaked at number 486 in 2008 and has eased out of the top 1000 since 2021, standing at number 1099 in 2025.