From an Old English place name meaning 'settlement on stony ground.'
Stanton is an Old English topographical surname turned given name, constructed from two sturdy Anglo-Saxon elements: stān, meaning 'stone,' and tūn, meaning 'settlement,' 'enclosure,' or 'estate.' A stanton was literally a stony place — a farm or village built on or near rocky ground — and the name proliferated across the English landscape as a place name before it was adopted as a family name by those who came from such locations. As a given name, Stanton belongs to the tradition of Anglo-American surname adoption that gained particular momentum in the nineteenth century, when parents sought to honor family lineages by moving surnames into the first-name position.
The name's most significant cultural association belongs to Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815–1902), the American suffragist and social activist who was among the primary architects of the organized women's rights movement in the United States. She co-organized the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 and co-authored the Declaration of Sentiments, which demanded for women the full rights of citizenship. Her partnership and friendship with Susan B.
Anthony shaped the political landscape of American feminism for generations. Though Stanton is traditionally a masculine given name, Elizabeth Cady Stanton's prominence has ensured that the name resonates far beyond its original gender coding. As a masculine given name, Stanton has never been fashionable in the conventional sense — it has remained a considered, serious choice, favored by families who want a name with historical weight and an Anglo-American pedigree. Its nickname Stan gives it an approachable informality, while the full form retains a dignified formality that suits it to both boardrooms and front porches.