Fenton
Fenton is both a surname and a male given-name, literally-meaning "fen/marsh town", originating as the name of several English places, popular in the United States and New Zealand. It is also a name of Irish-Gaelic origin; Ó Fionnachta or Ó Fiachna 'descendant of Fiachna', an old personal name Anglicized as Feighney and sometimes mistranslated as 'Hunt'. Notable people with the name include:
Meaning & Origin of Fenton
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Fenton is both a surname and a male given-name, literally-meaning "fen/marsh town", originating as the name of several English places, popular in the United States and New Zealand. It is also a name of Irish-Gaelic origin; Ó Fionnachta or Ó Fiachna 'descendant of Fiachna', an old personal name Anglicized as Feighney and sometimes mistranslated as 'Hunt'. Notable people with the name include:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Fenton
Fenton first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1883, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1922, when 40 Fentons were born — ranking #1,120 that year. As of 2026, Fenton ranks #7,524 for baby boys with 8 births, falling sharply (-57%). In total, more than 2K Fentons have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Fenton
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Fenton Johnson (poet) (1888–1958), American poet, essayist, author of short stories, editor and educator
- Fenton Keogh , celebrity chef
- Fenton Robinson , blues musician
- Fenton Williams , lighting designer, founder of Filament Productions
- Fenton Bailey , filmmaker and television producer
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Fenton
Phonetically similar names — useful when Fenton 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 Fenton
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About the name Fenton
Fenton is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1883 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Fenton's peak popularity came in 1922 when it ranked #738. Use the chart and map above to compare Fenton's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1922 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "F" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.