The toponymy of the village is derived from the Old English word mōr for Moor and the word tun for farm, with the addition of the geographical reference to the nearby river, giving Moor farm on the River Swale.

[4][5][6] The village is in the Richmond UK Parliament constituency and the Swale electoral division of North Yorkshire County Council.

[7] Morton-on-Swale electoral ward stretches north to Danby Wiske and had a population at the 2011 Census of 1,761.

The neighbouring parishes are Ainderby Steeple, Thrintoft, Scruton, Leeming, Gatenby, Maunby, Newby Wiske and Warlaby.

[1] There is no church in the village, though the Methodists erected a chapel in 1815 which is now a Grade II listed private dwelling.

[6] The village is served by three bus routes running from Northallerton to RAF Leeming, Bedale and Hawes.

[14] There is one public house, a butchers shop and a village store that includes the local post office.