boy's name
Braxton
BRAK-stən
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 69,637
the United States
#172
2025 births
Braxton is a boy's name of Old English origin meaning "Bracc's settlement." It is an English place name and surname, and its use as a first name is entirely modern and American.
- Braxton is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2014, when 3,394 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,552 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1885.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Braxton 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 | 6 |
| 1890s | 5 |
| 1900s | 15 |
| 1910s | 157 |
| 1920s | 230 |
| 1930s | 227 |
| 1940s | 191 |
| 1950s | 166 |
| 1960s | 166 |
| 1970s | 265 |
| 1980s | 872 |
| 1990s | 5,257 |
| 2000s | 14,212 |
| 2010s | 30,602 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 14,283 |
What Braxton means
Braxton means the settlement or estate belonging to Bracc. The first element is a personal name of uncertain meaning and the second is tun, an enclosure or farmstead — the ancestor of town.
Where Braxton comes from
Braxton combines the Old English personal name Bracc, whose own meaning is not recoverable, with tun, a settlement or enclosure — the element behind every English place name ending in -ton. Families took it as a surname, and Carter Braxton was a Virginian signatory of the Declaration of Independence. Its use as a first name begins in the late twentieth century, and its modern popularity is often linked to the Braxton Hicks contractions named after the physician John Braxton Hicks, though that connection is a coincidence rather than a cause.
Braxton in use
Our data shows Braxton stable, peaking in 2014, and it first appears in our records in 1885 though it was effectively unused before the 1980s. That signature — an old surname absent from given-name records until recently — is one our data shows repeatedly, in Beckham, Dawson and Jenson.
How popular is Braxton?
In 2025, Braxton was given to 2,136 babies in the United States, ranking #172 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Braxton 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 Braxton
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Braxton also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Braxton over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Braxton
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.
Braxton 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 Braxton
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Braxton — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Braxton
What does the name Braxton mean?
Braxton means "Bracc's settlement," from an Old English personal name plus tun, an enclosure.
Is Braxton related to Braxton Hicks?
Only by coincidence. The contractions are named after the physician John Braxton Hicks.
Is Braxton an old name?
The surname is medieval, but as a first name it is recent — effectively unused before the 1980s.
How popular is the name Braxton?
In 2025, Braxton was given to 2,136 babies in the United States, ranking #172 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Braxton a girl's or a boy's name?
Braxton is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Braxton?
Braxton has 2 syllables.
When was Braxton most popular?
Braxton peaked in 2014, when 3,394 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Braxton?
Braxton is usually shortened to Brax.
Is Braxton a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Braxton currently ranks #172 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.