English & Scottish, derived from the surname sometime in the 19^th century. The surname comes from a number of British place-names, the northern ones in England were generally from Old English "lake settlement" but others have a variety of possible derivations.

Seton is found occasionally in the 1841 Census of Aberdeenshire. In Scotland, the surname SEATON/SETON is believed to have originated from the Norman name, de SEY, in Longniddry, east of Edinburgh.