Paxon
A variant of the masculine name Paxton, derived from an English surname meaning "peaceful town" or "valley."
Name Census estimates that about 459 living Americans carry the first name Paxon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Paxon today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Paxon births was 2017 (41 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Paxon. 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.
People living today
459
~ 1 in 746,741 Americans
Peak year
2017
41 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,621
Tracked since 1994
Census
Paxon in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 409 people with the first name Paxon, which placed it at #23,820 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#23,820
National first-name rank
People counted
409
409 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
65.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paxon
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Paxon is White at 65.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.8%) and Hispanic (9.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Paxon described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Paxon at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.0% · 266
- Two or more races9.8% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino9.5% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.5% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.2% · 13
- Black or African American2.9% · 12
Popularity
Paxon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Paxon from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 284 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Paxon remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Paxon 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 Paxon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Paxons live
Origin
Meaning and history of Paxon
The name Paxon is believed to have originated from the Latin word "pax," which means peace or tranquility. It is a relatively modern name that gained popularity in the 20th century, particularly in English-speaking countries.
Despite its recent surge in popularity, the name Paxon has its roots in ancient Roman culture, where the concept of peace was highly revered. The word "pax" was often used as a salutation or a blessing, wishing peace upon the recipient. It was also a common motif in Roman art and literature, symbolizing harmony and prosperity.
While there are no definitive records of the name Paxon being used in ancient times, it is likely that it was derived from the Latin word "pax" as a way to honor the value of peace. The earliest recorded instances of the name Paxon can be traced back to the late 19th century in various English-speaking regions.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Paxon was Paxon Tate (1856-1932), an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia in the early 20th century. Another early bearer of the name was Paxon Smith (1873-1949), an American businessman and philanthropist from Pennsylvania.
In more recent times, Paxon Dalrymple (born 1985) is an American actress and model who has appeared in various television shows and films. Paxon Hembree (born 1987) is a professional baseball player who has played for several teams in Major League Baseball.
Another noteworthy individual with the name Paxon is Paxon Jeancake (born 1978), a British artist and sculptor known for his abstract and experimental works. His pieces have been exhibited in galleries across Europe and North America.
While the name Paxon may not have a long and storied history like some ancient names, its connection to the concept of peace and its increasing popularity in recent decades make it a unique and meaningful choice for parents seeking a name with a positive connotation.
People
Paxon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Paxon as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Paxon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Paxon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 459 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Paxon 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 746,741 US residents.
Is Paxon a common name?
We classify Paxon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 463 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Paxon most popular?
The single biggest year for Paxon was 2017, when 41 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Paxon is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Paxon in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 409 people with the name Paxon, or 0.14 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #23,820 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Paxon in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Paxon?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Paxon leans strongly male. 385 people counted with this name were male (95.5%), compared with 18 female bearers (4.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Paxon?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Paxon is White at 65.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.8%) and Hispanic (9.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Paxon most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Paxon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.0% (266 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Paxon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Paxon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Paxon 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 Paxon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Paxon 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 Paxon 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.
How many people are called Paxon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.