Walton is a local name, "of Walton" – there are 25 different parishes of Walton in England, making it impossible to say exactly where the name originated. It is thought that the word was originally used to describe a stead or dwelling made of stone, not wood (ie wall + town), although it is possible that it may derive from the ancient word "woell", meaning spring or stream.
An Alicia de Walton is recorded in the Poll Tax register of Yorkshire in 1379. The ancient family motto was MURUS OENEUS VIRTUS (latin), meaning "Virtue is a wall of brass".