Finton
A masculine name of Irish origin meaning "the fair-haired one".
Name Census estimates that about 70 living Americans carry the first name Finton. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Finton today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Finton births was 2008 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Finton. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Finton with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Finton. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
70
~ 1 in 4,896,491 Americans
Peak year
2008
8 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,831
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Finton: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Finton from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 42 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Finton remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Finton by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Finton during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Finton
The given name Finton has its roots in the ancient Celtic language. It is believed to have originated in the region encompassing modern-day Ireland, Scotland, and parts of England during the early medieval period, around the 5th to 7th centuries AD. The name is derived from the Old Irish word "fínn," meaning fair or white, often referring to hair color or complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Finton can be found in the Annals of Ulster, an ancient Irish chronicle that dates back to the 15th century. It mentions a man named Finton mac Cáelchon, who lived in the 7th century and was a renowned warrior and chieftain from the kingdom of Dál Riata, which spanned parts of modern-day Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Finton. One of the most famous was Saint Finton of Rheinau (c. 825 - 878), an Irish monk and missionary who founded the Benedictine monastery of Rheinau in present-day Switzerland. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, and his feast day is celebrated on November 17th.
Another notable figure was Finton O'Driscoll (c. 1100 - 1180), an Irish chieftain and lord of the O'Driscoll clan in West Cork, Ireland. He played a significant role in the struggles between the Irish clans and the Norman invaders during the 12th century.
In the 13th century, Finton fitz Henry (c. 1210 - 1280) was a prominent English nobleman and landowner who served as Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire during the reign of King Henry III.
Moving forward to the 16th century, Finton O'Donnell (c. 1520 - 1589) was an Irish chieftain and leader of the O'Donnell clan in what is now County Donegal, Ireland. He was known for his resistance against English colonization efforts during the Tudor conquest of Ireland.
Lastly, in the 18th century, Finton Lalor (1720 - 1799) was an Irish lawyer and landowner from County Laois. He was a prominent figure in the Irish Patriot movement and played a role in the events leading up to the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
People
Finton + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Finton as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Finton: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Finton?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 70 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Finton going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 4,896,491 US residents.
Is Finton a common name?
We classify Finton as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 71 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Finton most popular?
The single biggest year for Finton was 2008, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Finton is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Finton in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Finton a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Finton in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Finton still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Finton in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Finton can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Finton?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.