Paeton
It is an English name likely derived from the French word "peton" meaning a young foot soldier or warrior.
Name Census estimates that about 520 living Americans carry the first name Paeton. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 83.7% of registrations being female. The average person named Paeton today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Paeton births was 2008 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Paeton. 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
520
~ 1 in 659,143 Americans
Peak year
2008
47 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2015 SSA rank
#10,886
Tracked since 1993
Gender
Gender distribution for Paeton
Paeton leans heavily female at 83.7% of total registrations, but 86 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Paeton as a male name
- Ranked #13,525 in 2015
- 5 male births in 2015
- Peak: 2010 (12 births)
Paeton as a female name
- Ranked #10,886 in 2020
- 9 female births in 2020
- Peak: 2008 (38 births)
Popularity
Paeton: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Paeton from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 245 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Paeton 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 Paeton during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Paetons live
Origin
Meaning and history of Paeton
The name Paeton is believed to have its origins in the ancient Celtic language spoken by the Britons, a group of people who inhabited what is now Great Britain and parts of modern-day France and Spain. The name is thought to be derived from the Celtic word "paidh," which means "portion" or "share."
During the Roman occupation of Britain, which lasted from 43 AD to 410 AD, the Celtic people were heavily influenced by Roman culture and language. It is possible that the name Paeton evolved during this period, as the Romans often adopted and modified local names and words.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Paeton can be found in the Annales Cambriae, a medieval chronicle of Welsh history. The chronicle mentions a "Paetonuis," who was a Welsh prince in the 6th century AD.
In the 9th century, a monk named Paeton is recorded as having lived in the monastery of Iona, an island off the western coast of Scotland. This monk is believed to have been a scribe and is credited with copying several important manuscripts.
During the Middle Ages, the name Paeton was relatively uncommon but still appeared in historical records. In 1295, a man named Paeton de Montford is listed as a landowner in the Domesday Book, a survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror.
In the 16th century, a Welsh poet and scholar named Paeton ap Rhys (born around 1520) gained recognition for his works, which included translations of classical texts and poems in the Welsh language.
Another notable figure with the name Paeton was Paeton Douglas (1598-1667), a Scottish minister and writer who served as the chaplain to King Charles I of England.
Throughout history, the name Paeton has remained relatively rare, but it has been carried by individuals from various backgrounds and professions. While its exact origins may be difficult to pinpoint, the name's Celtic roots and historical references suggest a rich cultural heritage.
People
Paeton + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Paeton 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
Paeton: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Paeton?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 520 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Paeton 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 659,143 US residents.
Is Paeton a common name?
We classify Paeton as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 527 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Paeton most popular?
The single biggest year for Paeton was 2008, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Paeton is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Paeton a female name?
Yes, 83.7% of people registered as Paeton in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.