This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Norton Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/Qi3.2ACIB/1759.1.1 Message Board Post: I'm unable to trace my New Jersey Norton family beyond the mid-1700's. Since they married many Germans and were apparently part of the German community, we wonder if they were German immigrants who changed their name to Norton. Does anyone know if immigrants commonly changed their name to Norton during this time frame?