Milton is an English surname and place name from the Old English for "mill town" or "middle settlement". It became a first name in honor of John Milton, the poet of Paradise Lost, and was common in America in the early 20th century, worn by figures like Milton Berle and Milton Friedman. In the United States Milton stood at number 650 in 2000, slipped out of the top 1000 in the following decade and ranks 1440 in 2025.