unisex name
Covington
KUV-ing-tun (English)
- Origin English
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 3
- Letters 9
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 44
Covington is an English surname used occasionally as a first name for boys and girls. It's a place name, recorded in Huntingdonshire in England, and a Scottish Covington in Lanarkshire has a separate history as Colban's town. Both end in the Old English word for a settlement.
- Covington is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2024, when 9 babies were given the name.
- It is a recent arrival in the birth records.
- Today about 1 in 552,792 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1924.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Covington Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1920s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1920s | 6 |
| 1930s | 0 |
| 1940s | 0 |
| 1950s | 0 |
| 1960s | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 12 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 26 |
What Covington Means
Covington means a settlement or farmstead named after a person, as many place names ending in -ton do. Used as a first name, it signals a family surname more than a direct meaning.
Where Covington Comes From
The English surname comes from Covington in Huntingdonshire, today part of Cambridgeshire, and families took the name from having lived there. The final -ton is the Old English tūn, an enclosure or farm. Scotland has its own Covington in Lanarkshire, recorded early as Colbainestun, the town of a man named Colban, so that version of the surname has a different root. English settlers brought the name to colonial America, where it later became a place name in several states. As a first name it follows the American custom of giving children a family surname, seen in Carter and Hayes.
Covington in Use
Several American towns called Covington are named for people, with no direct tie to the English village. The name's length invites shortening, and Cove and Cov are the likely nicknames.
How Popular Is Covington?
In 2025, Covington was given to 6 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
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 Covington
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Covington Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Covington over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Covington
- English KUV-ing-tun
Sibling Names for Covington
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Covington — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Covington
What does the name Covington mean?
It's an English place-based surname, with -ton meaning a settlement or farmstead.
Is Covington a boy's or a girl's name?
It's used rarely for both, and in the United States more for boys overall.
Where does the surname Covington come from?
Covington in Huntingdonshire, England, with a separate Scottish source in Lanarkshire.
How popular is the name Covington?
In 2025, Covington was given to 6 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
How many syllables are in Covington?
Covington has 3 syllables.
When was Covington most popular?
Covington peaked in 2024, when 9 babies were given the name. It is a recent arrival in the birth records.
Is Covington a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Covington currently ranks #13,825 in the United States. It is a recent arrival in the birth records. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.