Layton is an English surname and place name that means "settlement by the leek garden" or "herb garden town", from the Old English leac, leek, and tun, enclosure; it is a variant of Leighton. It belongs to the family of two-syllable -ton surnames like Peyton, Dayton and Easton that American parents love. Layton ranked number 1123 in the United States in 2000, entered the top 1000 in 2001, peaked at number 541 in 2015 and ranks number 714 in 2025.