Boy · #1,627 in 2026

Alton

Alton is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Alton Adams (1889–1987), first African-American bandmaster in the U.S.

  • English
Current Rank
#1,627
Peak Rank
#78 (1937)
Total Babies
48K
5-Yr Trend
-19%
1904
First Year
1989
Last Year
1920
Peak Year
#2263
Peak Rank
376
Total Count
49
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Alton

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Alton is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Alton Adams (1889–1987), first African-American bandmaster in the U.S.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English

The Story of Alton

Alton first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 14 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1937, when 836 Altons were born — ranking #173 that year. As of 2026, Alton ranks #1,627 for baby boys with 105 births, falling sharply (-19%). In total, more than 48K Altons have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Where is Alton most common?

Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.

  • United States
    39%
  • China
    22%
  • Canada
    17%
  • United Kingdom
    15%
  • New Zealand
    6%

Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.

Names that sound like Alton

Phonetically similar names — useful when Alton is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Alton

What does the name Alton mean?
Alton is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Alton Adams (1889–1987), first African-American bandmaster in the U.S.
What is the origin of the name Alton?
Alton has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.
How popular is Alton in 2026?
In 2026, Alton ranks #1,627 among boys' names in the U.S., with 105 babies given the name that year.
When was Alton most popular?
Alton reached its peak popularity in 1937, ranking #78 that year with 836 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Alton most popular?
Alton has historically been most popular in Maine, Vermont, Delaware. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Alton.
Is Alton a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Alton is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Alton?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Alton include Jay, Silas, Dean. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Alton

Alton is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 48K births in the dataset. Alton's peak popularity came in 1937 when it ranked #78. Use the chart and map above to compare Alton's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.