The name QUINTON is supposed to have originated from St. QUENTIN a third  century missionary in Gaul, whose name was taken for a town that became the  capital of Picardy, the seat of government for the Normans prior to 1066.  The  name was brought to England following the Norman conquest.

First found in Essex and Dorset, they were granted lands by Duke William of  Normandy for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings (from  houseofnames.com). Records substantiate this as there are many Quintons who  have origins around Downton, in Wiltshire, close to the Dorset border. It is  known a family of Quintins was living in the village of Harpham near Burton  Agnes in East Yorkshire at the time of the Norman invasion, and a pub, The  Quintin's Arms, carries their name.

The earliest records from the 13th and 14th centuries have the Quinton name  recorded as De QUINTYN or St QUINTIN. Later spellings in Suffolk from the 15th  and 16th centuries have the spellings as QWINTYN OR QWYNTYNE and prior to the  19th century the name Quinton was also spelt as QUINTIN, QUINTING OR QUYNTIN.

It is believed that Quintons fled to England from France post-1685 once the  Huguenot Persecutions were initiated by Louis XIV.

It is known that the Quinton name appeared early in the history of the  America's as well, with Henry and Richard Quintyne living in Barbados in 1679,  a Jean Quinton being found in Quebec in 1695, and a William Quinton living in  Newfoundland in 1795 (from houseofnames.com)

My father had a rather interesting version of our family name.  He told us on  many occasions that the Quinton name went back to a "sword juggler of King  Harold". It appears he may have had us on the wrong side - if William granted  us lands!

My side of the family shifted to Suffolk pre-1632 as they were established in  the area of Stow at this time, and lived there for many generations.

-Ross Quinton (with information from Richard Quinton of Pocklington, East  Yorkshire)