Tone
Tone, Tóne or Þone is a given name, nickname and a surname. Tone is a Slovene masculine given name in use as a short form of Anton in Slovenia. It is also a Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish feminine given name used as an alternate form of Tony and a short form of Antona in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Republic of Karelia, Estonia, Greenland and Denmark.
- Slovene
- Norwegian
Meaning & Origin of Tone
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Tone, Tóne or Þone is a given name, nickname and a surname. Tone is a Slovene masculine given name in use as a short form of Anton in Slovenia. It is also a Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish feminine given name used as an alternate form of Tony and a short form of Antona in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Republic of Karelia, Estonia, Greenland and Denmark.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Slovene
- Norwegian
The Story of Tone
As a girl name
Tone first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1962, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1988: 7 births, good for #9,243 nationwide. The 1990s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 78% of all recorded Tones. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 1997 (7 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 54 Tones have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1960s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
American parents first put Tone on the record books as a boy name in 1979, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1996, when 7 Tones were born — ranking #7,137 that year. The 1990s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 78% of all recorded Tones. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2015 (5 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 45 Tones have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Tone
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Tone. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Anton
- Tonje
Names that sound like Tone
Phonetically similar names — useful when Tone 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 Tone
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About the name Tone
Tone is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1962 and has accumulated 54 births in the dataset. Tone's peak popularity came in 1988 when it ranked #9,243. Use the chart and map above to compare Tone's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1988 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "T" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.