Axton is an English place name and surname from Old English, usually explained as "ash-tree settlement" from aesc and tun, though some trace it to a personal name Acca. American parents took it up in the 2010s as a sharper-sounding alternative to Paxton and Braxton, with the trendy Ax- opening of Axel. Axton entered the top 1000 in 2012, peaked at number 594 in 2018 and has eased back to number 906 in 2025.