boys' name ★ peaked 1937

Alton

Meaning A male given name transferred from the surname Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #1,602 Trend → Stable

A male given name transferred from the surname.

Rank 2025
#1,602
among boys · ↓28 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
106
named Alton · -4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 16,114
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1937
836 babies
All-time total
47,832
#527 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Alton popularity over time

47,832 babies have been named Alton since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.631.251.882.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 191 191 19 – #309
1890s – 276 276 28 +45% #306
1900s 12 1,102 1,114 111 +304% #78
1910s 74 4,417 4,491 449 +303% #183
1920s 95 7,243 7,338 734 +63% #176
1930s 69 7,215 7,284 728 -1% #173
1940s 41 6,373 6,414 641 -12% #194
1950s 30 5,989 6,019 602 -6% #259
1960s 34 4,376 4,410 441 -27% #336
1970s 5 2,855 2,860 286 -35% #424
1980s 15 2,211 2,226 223 -22% #526
1990s – 1,684 1,684 168 -24% #682
2000s – 1,466 1,466 147 -13% #998
2010s – 1,427 1,427 143 -3% #1,111
2020s (to 2025) – 632 632 105 -26% #1,349

Where Alton is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 104 0.06 outside top 500
2027 102 0.06 outside top 500
2028 101 0.06 outside top 500
2029 99 0.06 outside top 500
2030 98 0.06 outside top 500

Where Alton is most popular

Boys named Alton per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.063 per 1,000. Strongest in South Carolina, Indiana, and Florida.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Alton born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
South Carolina 11 0.106 +70%
Indiana 14 0.087 +40%
Florida 39 0.082 +32%
North Carolina 20 0.078 +25%
Tennessee 14 0.078 +24%
Texas 54 0.061 ≈ national
Louisiana 5 0.049 -22%
New York 21 0.049 -22%
California 30 0.033 -48%
Virginia 6 0.032 -49%
Pennsylvania 8 0.030 -52%
Michigan 5 0.024 -61%
Georgia 5 0.020 -68%
Illinois 5 0.020 -69%
Ohio 5 0.019 -70%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Alton

Alton is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,602 in 2025 with 106 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 47,832 American babies have been named Alton. Its peak came in 1937, when 836 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1930s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Alton stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Alton?

The median living Alton is about 60 years old; half are between 38 and 73. An estimated 23 thousand people named Alton are alive in the United States today.

median 60 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Alton year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 106 #1,602
2024 – – 110 #1,574
2023 – – 101 #1,681
2022 – – 86 #1,853
2021 – – 137 #1,349
2020 – – 92 #1,694
2019 – – 134 #1,340
2018 – – 132 #1,352
2017 – – 133 #1,341
2016 – – 148 #1,248
2015 – – 147 #1,239
2014 – – 162 #1,163
2013 – – 152 #1,180
2012 – – 166 #1,111
2011 – – 131 #1,305
2010 – – 122 #1,376
2009 – – 150 #1,203
2008 – – 162 #1,129
2007 – – 165 #1,102
2006 – – 148 #1,144
2005 – – 135 #1,183
2004 – – 147 #1,080
2003 – – 156 #1,012
2002 – – 156 #998
2001 – – 111 #1,208
2000 – – 136 #1,053
1995 – – 152 #887
1990 – – 210 #704
1985 – – 207 #607
1980 – – 251 #539
1975 – – 241 #515
1970 – – 345 #440
1965 – – 402 #389
1960 9 #4,441 528 #338
1955 – – 613 #288
1950 – – 635 #259
1945 8 #3,394 553 #241
1940 5 #4,373 692 #194
1935 11 #2,580 699 #188
1930 10 #2,854 756 #183
1925 9 #3,366 708 #197
1920 16 #2,266 683 #197
1915 11 #2,540 568 #195
1910 5 #2,417 122 #211
1905 – – 164 #135
1900 – – 43 #325
1895 – – 26 #368
1890 – – 21 #389
1885 – – 29 #312
1880 – – 14 #484

Famous people named Alton

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Aílton Aílton Brazilian footballer b. 1973 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Alton B. Parker Alton B. Parker American judge (1852–1926) 19th century
  3. 3 Alton Ellis Alton Ellis Jamaican singer-songwriter 1938–2008 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Aílton de Oliveira Modesto Brazilian footballer b. 1980 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Aílton Name list b. 1984 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Alton, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Alton?

The median living Alton is about 60 years old. Half of all living Altons are between 38 and 73 years old.

How many people named Alton are alive today?

An estimated 23 thousand people named Alton are alive in the United States, based on 47,832 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Alton mean?

A male given name transferred from the surname.

How popular is the name Alton in 2025?

Alton ranked #1,602 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 106 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Alton?

47,832 babies have been named Alton in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Alton most popular?

Alton peaked in 1937, when 836 newborns received the name.

Is Alton a boy or girl name?

Alton is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Alton rising or falling?

Alton is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Alton become more popular?

Alton is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 98 boys named Alton in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Alton?

Well-known people named Alton include Aílton (soccer player), Alton B. Parker (politician), Alton Ellis (singer).

Names like Alton

Names that sound and feel close to Alton: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Alton with similar names → More names starting with A →