boy's name
Alton
AWL-tun
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 47,985
Alton means the settlement at the river's source, and that is more specific than the old town reading usually given — the Old English element is a spring or wellhead, not age. Alton in Hampshire sits at the head of the Wey and fits exactly.
- Alton is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1937, when 836 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 31,277 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Alton over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 191 |
| 1890s | 276 |
| 1900s | 1,114 |
| 1910s | 4,491 |
| 1920s | 7,338 |
| 1930s | 7,284 |
| 1940s | 6,414 |
| 1950s | 6,019 |
| 1960s | 4,410 |
| 1970s | 2,860 |
| 1980s | 2,226 |
| 1990s | 1,684 |
| 2000s | 1,466 |
| 2010s | 1,427 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 632 |
What Alton means
Alton means the farmstead at the source of a river. The Old English names a spring or wellhead rather than anything to do with age, despite the common reading.
Where Alton comes from
Alton is an English place name, most often from æwiell, a river source or spring, joined to tun, a farmstead — so the settlement where a stream rises. Alton in Hampshire sits at the head of the Wey and fits exactly. Some other Altons derive instead from eald, old, or from a personal name, which is where the old town gloss comes from; it is right for some places and wrong for most. Its use as a given name is American.
Alton in use
Alton peaked in the United States in 1937, when 836 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 1605th in the United States on 106 births, across 47,985 lifetime births. Our records carry it from 1880, and England and Wales shows only a handful of births in any year.
How popular is Alton?
In 2025, Alton was given to 106 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Alton is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Alton
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Alton also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Alton over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Alton
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Alton in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Alton
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Alton — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Alton
What does the name Alton mean?
The farmstead at a river's source — æwiell, a spring, joined to tun.
Does it mean old town?
For some places, from eald. For most, including Alton in Hampshire, it is the river source.
Is Elton related?
A separate place name, though built on the same tun element.
How popular is Alton?
1605th in the United States, and stable rather than falling in our data.
Is Alton a girl's or a boy's name?
Alton is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Alton?
Alton has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Alton?
Alton is usually shortened to Al.
Is Alton a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Alton currently ranks #1,605 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.