Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Aitona c.1130 LeicSurv

• Haitona Hy2 Rut

• Ayton' 1229 Cur

• Eitona 1181,Hy2 Rut

• Eiton' e.13 BHosp 13 GarCart

• Eitun' Hy2 Rut

• Eytona Hy2 Dugd l.12 WoCart 1449 Rut 1228 Nichols 1258 CroxR 1261 Edw1

• Eytone 1212 Dugd 1222 RHug 1241 BelCartA e.14

• Eyton' c.1207 BelCartB e.15 Nichols 1220 Deed e.13 CroxR 1228 Crox Edw1 Comp Hy3 LibCl 1423,1427 Ipm 1576 1606

• Eyton' iuxta Estwell 1455 ECP

• Eytun' e.Hy3 Rut 1241 BelCartA e.14 BelCartB 1241 e.15

• Eytton 1511 Rut

• Ettona 1156 Ch 1318

• Etona Hy2 Rut

• Etone Hy3 ib

• Eton 1473 CCR 1519,1520 Wyg 1520 Crox

• Etton' 1500,1508,1509 Rut 1535 VE

• Eattone c.1170 CartAnt

• Eaton 1576 Saxton 1599 Rut 1604 LeicW 1610 Speed

Etymology

'Farmstead, village on a hill-spur', v. ēg , tūn . The common p.n. Eaton has two chief sources; either OE  ēa -tūn 'farmstead or village beside a river' or OE  ēg -tūn 'farmstead or village on an island or on a spur of land'. The Leics. Eaton stands on the eastern tip of an impressive promontory which lies between one of the headwaters of R. Devon and a much smaller stream which runs into it from the north-west. However, neither of the streams at this point is large enough to be described as an ēa 'river' and this may be discounted as the first el. or specific here.Gelling (PNL 35) points out that 'sites of villages with ēg names were often the likeliest places for colonists to choose, and it might be worth the archaeologist's while to look for continuity of settlement from pre- English times'. Although this observation no doubt refers principally to p.ns. with ēg as their generic rather than specific, it is worthy of note that Roman burials have been discovered in Eaton some 700 yards north of the parish church.

For an extended discussion of the various meanings of the el. ēg , v. PNL 34–40.