Paton
A masculine name of Scottish origin meaning "from the town on the hill".
Name Census estimates that about 86 living Americans carry the first name Paton. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Paton today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Paton births was 2005 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Paton. 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 Paton. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
86
~ 1 in 3,985,516 Americans
Peak year
2005
8 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2017 SSA rank
#11,838
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Paton: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Paton from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 33 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Paton 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 Paton 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 Paton
The name Paton has its origins in the Scottish Gaelic language, derived from the Gaelic word "Padán," which means "little or diminutive Patrick." The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Scotland, where it was a common diminutive form of the name Patrick.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Paton can be found in the Scottish Exchequer Rolls from the 14th century, where a person named "Patricius dictus Paton" (Patrick called Paton) is mentioned. This suggests that the name was in use as a nickname or diminutive form of Patrick during this period.
In the 16th century, the name Paton gained prominence with the Scottish reformer and historian John Paton (1534-1608), who served as a regent during the minority of King James VI of Scotland. Another notable figure with this name was William Paton (1917-1993), a British actor best known for his role in the film "The Wicker Man."
The name Paton has also been associated with several other prominent individuals throughout history. One example is John Gibson Paton (1824-1907), a Scottish Presbyterian missionary who spent much of his life in the New Hebrides Islands (now Vanuatu). His memoir, "John G. Paton: Missionary to the New Hebrides," became a widely-read and influential work.
Another notable figure was Sir Joseph Noel Paton (1821-1901), a Scottish painter and sculptor known for his contributions to the Pre-Raphaelite movement. His works, including "The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania" and "The Pursuit of Pleasure," are celebrated for their imaginative and allegorical themes.
Lastly, the name Paton was also borne by Walter Paton (1828-1907), a Scottish artist and teacher who played a significant role in the development of art education in Scotland. He served as the Head of the Sculpture Department at the Trustees' Academy in Edinburgh for over 40 years.
While the name Paton may not be as common today as it once was, its rich history and connections to notable figures in Scotland and beyond have ensured that it remains an intriguing and meaningful name with deep cultural roots.
People
Paton + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Paton 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
Paton: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Paton?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 86 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Paton 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 3,985,516 US residents.
Is Paton a common name?
We classify Paton as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 87 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Paton most popular?
The single biggest year for Paton was 2005, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Paton is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Paton a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Paton 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.
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.