Unisex name ★ peaked 2016

Paxton

Meaning settlement of (a person named) *Pæcc Gender Unisex · 7% girls Rank 2025 #338 Trend ↓ Falling 18%

From Old English *Pæcces + tūn (literally “settlement of (a person named) *Pæcc”).

Rank 2025
#338
among boys · ↓50 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,037
named Paxton · -15% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,729
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2016
2,084 babies
All-time total
30,318
#700 all-time among boys
First recorded
1921
in Social Security records

Paxton popularity over time

30,318 babies have been named Paxton since 1921, 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
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – 33 33 3 – #3,392
1930s – 16 16 2 -52% #3,664
1940s – 20 20 2 +25% #2,821
1950s – 28 28 3 +40% #2,768
1960s – 124 124 12 +343% #1,555
1970s – 332 332 33 +168% #1,121
1980s – 219 219 22 -34% #1,984
1990s 558 959 1,517 152 +593% #897
2000s 469 3,501 3,970 397 +162% #327
2010s 697 15,404 16,101 1,610 +306% #203
2020s (to 2025) 400 7,558 7,958 1,326 -18% #256

Where Paxton 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 948 0.55 #344
2027 915 0.54 #358
2028 888 0.52 #365
2029 866 0.51 #369
2030 847 0.50 #375

Where Paxton is most popular

Boys named Paxton per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.724 per 1,000. Strongest in West Virginia, South Dakota, and North Dakota.

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 Paxton 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
West Virginia 71 2.17 +200%
South Dakota 40 2.15 +197%
North Dakota 35 2.05 +183%
Mississippi 114 2.01 +177%
Idaho 82 2.00 +177%
Montana 35 1.98 +174%
Maine 32 1.65 +128%
Kentucky 165 1.64 +127%
Nebraska 70 1.61 +122%
Hawaii 25 1.61 +122%
Alabama 168 1.54 +112%
Oklahoma 129 1.46 +101%
Arkansas 84 1.33 +83%
Iowa 91 1.32 +82%
Washington 208 1.27 +75%
New Hampshire 28 1.26 +74%
Louisiana 126 1.23 +70%
Oregon 93 1.23 +69%
Wyoming 7 1.21 +67%
Indiana 190 1.18 +64%
Missouri 163 1.18 +62%
Tennessee 206 1.14 +58%
Kansas 78 1.14 +57%
Ohio 299 1.13 +56%
Vermont 7 1.11 +54%
Wisconsin 131 1.11 +53%
South Carolina 112 1.08 +50%
Minnesota 132 1.08 +49%
Pennsylvania 273 1.03 +42%
North Carolina 227 0.889 +23%
Utah 83 0.870 +20%
New Mexico 28 0.850 +17%
Colorado 108 0.837 +16%
Georgia 196 0.774 +7%
Nevada 43 0.754 ≈ national
Maryland 88 0.738 ≈ national
Michigan 147 0.718 ≈ national
Illinois 178 0.696 ≈ national
Virginia 130 0.685 -5%
Arizona 110 0.672 -7%
Texas 526 0.597 -18%
Alaska 7 0.588 -19%
Massachusetts 79 0.575 -21%
Florida 254 0.536 -26%
California 446 0.488 -33%
Connecticut 33 0.487 -33%
New York 210 0.485 -33%
New Jersey 77 0.382 -47%
Rhode Island 6 0.368 -49%
Delaware 5 0.330 -54%
District of Columbia – – –

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 Paxton

Paxton is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #338 in 2025 with 988 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1921, 30,318 American babies have been named Paxton, about 93% boys and 7% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2016, when 2,084 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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 Paxton stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Paxton?

The median living Paxton is about 9 years old; half are between 5 and 14. An estimated 30 thousand people named Paxton are alive in the United States today.

median 9 020406080100

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

Paxton 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 49 #3,239 988 #338
2024 50 #3,214 1,170 #288
2023 65 #2,695 1,357 #257
2022 86 #2,204 1,350 #257
2021 76 #2,380 1,392 #256
2020 74 #2,392 1,301 #262
2019 83 #2,227 1,450 #252
2018 87 #2,175 1,694 #221
2017 95 #2,069 1,909 #207
2016 91 #2,144 1,993 #203
2015 69 #2,612 1,677 #229
2014 60 #2,881 1,432 #260
2013 54 #3,068 1,356 #262
2012 48 #3,411 1,496 #242
2011 54 #3,125 1,287 #273
2010 56 #3,040 1,110 #296
2009 43 #3,723 979 #327
2008 47 #3,520 697 #420
2007 37 #4,193 456 #565
2006 43 #3,662 267 #780
2005 31 #4,463 211 #872
2004 45 #3,379 197 #883
2003 59 #2,696 174 #944
2002 53 #2,846 197 #846
2001 43 #3,244 162 #952
2000 68 #2,301 161 #947
1995 65 #2,092 97 #1,181
1990 – – 17 #3,567
1985 – – 21 #2,484
1980 – – 21 #2,425
1975 – – 21 #2,185
1970 – – 48 #1,203
1965 – – 7 #3,471
1960 – – 7 #3,574
1955 – – 5 #4,249
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – 5 #4,028
1930 – – – –
1925 – – 6 #4,083
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Paxton?

The median living Paxton is about 9 years old. Half of all living Paxtons are between 5 and 14 years old.

How many people named Paxton are alive today?

An estimated 30 thousand people named Paxton are alive in the United States, based on 30,318 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Paxton mean?

From Old English *Pæcces + tūn (literally “settlement of (a person named) *Pæcc”).

How popular is the name Paxton in 2025?

Paxton ranked #338 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 988 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Paxton?

30,318 babies have been named Paxton in the United States since 1921, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Paxton most popular?

Paxton peaked in 2016, when 2,084 newborns received the name.

Is Paxton a boy or girl name?

Paxton is used for both: about 7% of babies named Paxton have been girls and 93% boys.

Is the name Paxton rising or falling?

Paxton has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Paxton become more popular?

Paxton is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 847 boys named Paxton in 2030, which would rank around #375. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Paxton

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

Compare Paxton with similar names → More names starting with P →