Atherton
An English name derived from a town meaning "meadow settlement".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Atherton. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Atherton today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Atherton births was 1920 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Atherton. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Atherton. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1920
6 babies that year
Average age
-
1920 SSA rank
#3,846
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Atherton: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Atherton 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 Atherton during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Atherton
The name Atherton is of Old English origin, derived from the words "æðele" meaning "noble" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "estate." It is believed to have emerged as a surname in the 7th or 8th century, referring to someone who lived in a noble or prestigious settlement.
While its origins are primarily English, the name has ties to the Anglo-Saxon culture that dominated parts of Britain during the Early Middle Ages. It may have been influenced by Old Norse or Germanic languages, as the components "æðele" and "tun" have cognates in those linguistic branches.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Atherton can be found in the Domesday Book, a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conquer in 1086. The entry mentions an individual named Atherton, though it is unclear whether this was a first or last name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the first name Atherton. One of the earliest was Atherton Hough (1588-1661), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, from 1638 until his death.
Another prominent figure was Atherton Gabriël van Reede (1615-1668), a Dutch nobleman and colonial administrator who served as the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies from 1661 to 1663.
In the 18th century, Atherton Leigh (1713-1786) was an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Newtown on the Isle of Wight.
Moving into the 19th century, Atherton Willy Dilke (1840-1904) was a British journalist and author, best known for his works on art and literature.
Finally, in the 20th century, Atherton Caryl Fletcher (1893-1972) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Solicitor General from 1959 to 1961.
While the name Atherton has maintained a presence throughout history, it has never been a widely popular first name in modern times. Its roots in Old English and Anglo-Saxon culture, however, have given it a rich and storied history spanning over a millennium.
People
Atherton + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Atherton as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Atherton: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Atherton?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Atherton 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 - US residents.
Is Atherton a common name?
We classify Atherton as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Atherton most popular?
The single biggest year for Atherton was 1920, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Atherton is about 0 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 Atherton in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Atherton a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Atherton 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 Atherton still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Atherton 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 Atherton 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 Americans are named Atherton?
Find out how many people have the name Atherton on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.