Dalton

From an English habitational surname derived from Old English dæl and tūn, meaning the settlement in the dale or valley. It crossed from family records into American given-name registrations during the nineteenth century. A substantial boom in the late 1990s turned it from an occasional family name into a fixture of elementary school rosters.

The name reads as a late-1990s staple with strong outdoor undertones. It suggests a high school baseball tournament, a heavy canvas jacket, and an older brother with a fresh driver's license. The average bearer is in his mid-twenties, having arrived right as CD players became standard automotive equipment.