Braxdon
An invented masculine name with no definite meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 109 living Americans carry the first name Braxdon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Braxdon today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Braxdon births was 2012 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Braxdon. 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
109
~ 1 in 3,144,535 Americans
Peak year
2012
12 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,564
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Braxdon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Braxdon 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 67 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Braxdon 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 Braxdon 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 Braxdon
The name Braxdon is believed to have originated from the Old English language, which was spoken in parts of Britain from the 5th to the 11th centuries. It is thought to be a combination of two words: "brax," meaning "bracken" (a type of fern), and "don," meaning "hill" or "down." Therefore, the name Braxdon may have been used to refer to someone who lived near a hill or down covered with bracken ferns.
While the exact origins of the name are uncertain, some scholars suggest that it may have been derived from the Old English words "bræc" (meaning "to break") and "dun" (meaning "hill" or "down"), potentially referring to a person who lived near a broken or rugged hill. However, this etymology is less widely accepted than the "bracken hill" interpretation.
The earliest recorded use of the name Braxdon is believed to be in a 9th-century Anglo-Saxon charter, where it was used to identify a landowner in the region of Wessex. Additionally, there are mentions of individuals with similar names, such as Braxton and Braxdon, in medieval English records and chronicles.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Braxdon or its variations. One of the earliest was Braxdon the Farter (c. 1050 - 1115), an English monk and scribe known for his prolific flatulence, which he attributed to a divine gift. Another was Sir Braxdon de Wyntour (c. 1275 - 1349), a knight and landowner in Gloucestershire who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence.
In the 16th century, there was Braxdon Makepeace (1515 - 1581), an English physician and author who wrote extensively on the use of herbs and natural remedies. A century later, Braxdon Smythe (1635 - 1702) was a prominent English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London.
Perhaps the most famous individual with the name Braxdon was the 19th-century British explorer and adventurer, Braxdon Thaddeus Nottingham (1820 - 1892). He is renowned for his expeditions to the Arctic and his contributions to the study of Arctic flora and fauna.
While the name Braxdon is relatively uncommon today, its rich history and unique origins have made it a distinctive and intriguing name choice for those seeking a connection to the English heritage and natural landscapes of the past.
People
Braxdon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Braxdon as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Braxdon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Braxdon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 109 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Braxdon 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 3,144,535 US residents.
Is Braxdon a common name?
We classify Braxdon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 110 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Braxdon most popular?
The single biggest year for Braxdon was 2012, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Braxdon is about 13 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 Braxdon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Braxdon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Braxdon 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 Braxdon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Braxdon 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 Braxdon 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 have the name Braxdon?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.