Laughton is a British surname. Notable people with the surname include:
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Alaine Laughton
Alaine is a Jamaican-American singer, songwriter, producer, and actor.
1998–2004
In 1988, Alaine appeared in movie ''Clara's Heart'' alongside Whoopi Goldberg. Through the late 1990s and early 2000s, Alaine lived in the United States and did ...
(born 1978), Jamaican singer-songwriter
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Charles Laughton (1899–1962), English actor and film director
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Charles E. Laughton (1846–1895), American politician and lawyer
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Dale Laughton (born 1970), Scottish rugby league player
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Dot Laughton (1913–1982), Australian cricketer
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Doug Laughton
Charles Douglas Laughton (born 13 May 1944) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He played at representative level for Great Britain ( ca ...
, English rugby league player and coach
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Eddie Laughton
Eddie Laughton (20 June 190321 March 1952) was an American film actor. Laughton appeared in more than 200 films between 1935 and 1952, and is best known for his work with The Three Stooges.
Career
Laughton's family immigrated to the United State ...
(1903–1952), English actor
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Gail Laughton (1921–1985), American jazz harpist
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Herbie Laughton (born 1927), Australian singer
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John George Laughton (1891–1965), New Zealand missionary
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John Knox Laughton (1830–1915), English naval historian
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Michael Laughton
Professor Michael Arthur Laughton FREng (born 18 December 1934) is Emeritus Professor of Electrical Engineering at Queen Mary, University of London, and currently Visiting Professor at the Department of Environmental Science and Technology at ...
(born 1934), British electrical engineer
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Mike Laughton (born 1944), Canadian ice hockey player
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Richard Laughton (died 1723), English Anglican priest and academic
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Scott Laughton
Scott Laughton (born May 30, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Growing up in Oakville, Ontario, Laughton spent his junior hockey career playing ...
(born 1994), Canadian ice hockey player
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Stacie Laughton, American politician
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Stuart Laughton (born 1951), Canadian musician
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William Laughton (1812-1897)
Moderator of the General Assembly
The moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator. The Oxford Dictionary states t ...
of the Free Church of Scotland
{{surname, Laughton
English-language surnames
English versions of the surname origins are usually quoted as "Anglo Saxon" in origin and associated with the growing of Leeks. This may be accurate in the context of the name in parts of England but does not take account of other narratives. It is entirely possible that the name Laughton has two separate root origins which converged as a result of trade and other pressures. This appears to relate to the formation of the Hudson Bay Company in Canada which recruited heavily from Orkney but also in England.
Laughton is most recorded as most prolific in Yorkshire England but is also ranked 23 in the commonality of surnames in Orkney. This may indicate a Scandinavian origin as both regions have historic links to Denmark and Norway arising from Viking invasions.
In Orkney, the name may have origins in the surname "Lachtane" or Lauchtain which can be traced to 1494ad in the kings' records of that period. The impignoration of sovereignty from Norway to Scotland occurred officially at that time but had been in process for decades prior to that. The infusion of Lowland Scots loyal to the Stewart king to Orkney is a contender for the origin of the surname Lachtane or Lauchtain (Laughton) in Orkney.
The pronunciation of the original name in Orkney also suggests a probability of origin in the Irish Gaelic surname O' Lachtnain translating as "Grey". The word "Loaghtan" on the Isle of Man refers to a colour of a wool which contains elements of gray. The breed of sheep referred to now as " Manx Loaghtan" is highly likely to have the same root as the original Gaelic word "Lachtnain".
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/name-origin?surname=laughton#:~:text=Laughton%20Family%20History-,Laughton%20Name%20Meaning,farm%20where%20leeks%20are%20grown%27.
https://www.oldscottish.com/orkney.html
https://www.libraryireland.com/names/ol/o-lachtnain.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manx_Loaghtan