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Home › Baby Names Directory › Braxton

Braxton

♂ Boy

Pronounced BRAK-stun /ˈbræk.stən/High

Meaning: Brock's settlement — from Old English Broc (badger or a personal name Brock) + tūn (settlement, farmstead)High

In 30 seconds: An Old English place-name meaning 'Brock's settlement,' Braxton is a strong surname-name that combines nature imagery with the trendy -ton ending popular in modern American boys' names.
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Origin HighOld English
MeaningBrock's settlement — from Old English Broc (badger or a personal name Brock) + tūn (settlement, farmstead)
U.S. rank (2025)#172 ↘ Falling
2025 U.S. births2,131 boys (0.12% of U.S. boys)
Peak year2014
Total births (all-time)≈ 65,798

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 201418852025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Braxton is an English habitational surname derived from a place called Braxton, from Old English Broc (a personal name, or 'badger') combined with tūn (settlement, farmstead). The name Braxton Hicks is well known in medicine through Dr. John Braxton Hicks's description of uterine contractions.

Braxton began gaining ground as a given name in the United States in the 1990s and 2000s, part of the trend for -ton surname-names (Ashton, Colton, Dalton, Easton). It entered the U.S. top 200 boys' names and has maintained solid popularity. Singer Toni Braxton helped give the name surname prominence.

Did you know? Braxton Hicks contractions — the 'practice' contractions many pregnant women experience — are named after Dr. John Braxton Hicks (1823–1897), the English physician who first described them. Obstetric history made the name familiar long before it became a baby-name trend.

Variations

—

Nicknames

Brax

Famous Bearers

  • ★John Braxton Hicks (1823–1897)
    English physician who first described Braxton Hicks contractions of pregnancy.

If you like Braxton…

Colton— two-syllable Old English -ton surname-name with the same sturdy appeal
Easton— two-syllable -ton place-name surname sharing Braxton's modern feel
Weston— Old English -ton place-name surname with the same frontier character
Bayron— shares the -on ending
Brandon— lands in the same popularity range

Frequently Asked

What does the name Braxton mean?

Braxton is an Old English place-name meaning 'Brock's settlement' or 'badger's settlement,' from Broc and tūn (settlement).

How do you pronounce Braxton?

Braxton is pronounced BRAK-stun /ˈbræk.stən/ — two syllables with stress on the first.

Is Braxton a boy or girl name?

Braxton is used primarily as a boys' name.

How popular is Braxton?

Braxton has been in the U.S. top 200 boys' names since the 2000s, part of the -ton surname-name trend.

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