Paxton

Paxton ~ Peaceful Town ~ Latin, English

It's the trendy sound, the "x" factor, the nickname Pax, and the meaning that has lots of us loving this name. Basically, Paxton has everything going for it right now. If there was any doubt, America is proving its infatuation as time goes by.

History
Paxton has fairly deep roots as an English surname. We've heard of it from celebrities like Bill Paxton or Tom Paxton, if not from people we know in our everyday lives. When I encounter this name it translates itself almost immediately: Pax is Latin for "peace" and the -ton suffix is "town".

There is another definition in play for Paxton, citing Pax to come from the word Poecc, which has unknown meaning. But one way or another, pax's Latin roots make this name synonymous with peace.

This surname fits into the category of English names chosen to indicate that a person is from a particular area—if you've read the popular Ancestry.com article about types of English surnames, it fits into their place name category.

It's a fantastic thing, to be from a peaceful town. (And in case you got here from my Christmas Spirit names sublist, it's that serene meaning that drew me to add Paxton.) Paxton is a sweet name that's turning heads and getting more attention every year.

Popularity
For 2014, Paxton is ranked at 260. Here's how its name graph from the Baby Name Wizard looks:

Paxton may have a history as a surname, but as a given name it's modern, and it's taking off like a rocket. That being said, Paxton is still not what I would call popular. Ranked in the 200s, I'd say it's fresh though not unusual, well-liked, and far from stale.

Paxton was one of the fastest rising names of 2008.

Nicknames

• Pax

Famous Namesakes & Celebrity Babies

• Paxton Whitehead, actor