Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Segentone 1086 DB

• Segentona 1105–7 Reg

• Seinton 1197 P

• Segestone 1086 DB

• Segeton 1178 P

• Segetona a.1088 BelCartB e15

• Segetuna Hy1 Ch 1333 BelCartB Hy2 e15

• Seieton 1086 DB

• Seiton(e) 1086 DB 1185 Dom 1191,1192 P 1302 BM

• Seyton(e) 1232,1233 Ch 1286 PleaR 1549 Pat 1610 Speed

• Saieton' 1167 P

• Saitona 1167 ChancR

• Sayton 1313 FF 1316,1360 Ipm

• Seton' 1205,1206 Cur 1282 Fine 1355 MiD

• Seaton 1546 FF 1557 Rut

Etymology

Probably 'Sǣga's estate', v. tūn . The OE  pers.n. Sǣga is unrecorded but may be a short form of names such as Sǣgeard , Sǣgeat . As an alternative etymology, Ekwall DEPN suggests a stream-name Sǣge 'the slow-moving one', from an unrecorded OE  adjective *sǣge , related to sīgan 'to descend, to move'. However, the village stands on a south-facing hillside overlooking R. Welland with only a tiny stream separating it from the river. It is difficult to believe that either watercourse provided the name of the settlement, the stream because it is too insignificant and the river because it already had an important ancient name when the settlement was founded. A pers.n. must be the most likely as the first element of the place-name.