What is Washington?

The name Washington came from England. Derived from the English place name WASHINGTON, the name of a parish in Durham, five miles from Gateshead, and also of a parish in Sussex, ten miles from Shoreham. The original bearer of this surname therefore, could have hailed from either of these places. The place name itself is derived from the Old English personal name "Wassa," combined with the locative suffix "thn", meaning "settlement, homestead."