Paxton is an English surname and place name, usually explained as "Pœcc's town" after an Old English personal name, though many parents hear in it the Latin pax, "peace". It followed Payton and Jaxon into the group of surname-style boys' names with an x in the middle. In the United States Paxton rose from number 947 in 2000 to a peak of number 203 in 2016 and ranks number 338 in 2025.