Save Type Surname (from location) Usage English Pronounced Pron. /ˈɡɑɹ.tən/(American English) /ˈɡɑː.tən/(British English) [key·simplify] Meaning & History habitational name from Garton or Garton on the Wolds in the East Yorkshire or from various minor places so named from Old English gara "triangular plot of land" and tun "farmstead".