Note from Daryl Lytton: There does seem to be a connection between the name Letton and the country of Latvia. The information I've seen wasn't in English though and I haven't done any further research on this yet...

Tricia L Letton reports: "Uncle Bob ... had researched back to the first Letton. I don't know if this story is true but here it goes. The first Letton was King of the country now known as Latvia. He was a womanizer who left the country (I get the impression he had to leave) and went to France. Changed his name to Letton and was accepted into the French nobility. Through his womanizing ways got in trouble, got threatened to a duel and had to sneak out of the country. Went to England. Got accepted into nobility and got in trouble again. Left England and went to Scotland, married and became a sheep herder. I do know that either my great grandfather or his father came to the US from Scotland."