The village is recorded in the Domesday Book as Chiltune,[2] which is possibly derived from a combination of Old Norse and Old English of "narrow-valley farm/settlement' or a Scandinavianised form of cilda-tun, 'children's farm/settlement."[3] The village is to the west of Kilton Beck Valley, a narrow cut that carries the Kilton Beck to the sea at Skinningrove.[4] The remains of Kilton Castle lie to the south east and the village is 7 miles (11 km) east of Guisborough and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of Brotton.[5]
Kilton was formerly a township in the parish of Brotton,[7] in 1866 Kilton became a separate civil parish,[8] on 1 April 1974 the parish was abolished.[9] In 1951 the parish had a population of 250.[10]