Newton
Masculine · “new town”
Newton is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 8,177 boys against 5 girls since 1880.
Newton is an English place name that means exactly what it says, and it became a first name because of one man who changed how the world was understood.
How old is the name Newton?
Newton was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Newton alive today was born around 1927, making them about 98 years old. About 2,600 people named Newton are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Newton most popular?
Newton peaked in 1880, reaching #180 nationally. Today it ranks #5861, 5,681 places below that high. See the whole 1880 chart.
Where it comes from
From niwe tun to Newton
The story of Newton
Isaac Newton is the reason boys were given this surname as a first name. Naming a child for a scientist rather than a saint or a soldier was a particular nineteenth-century enthusiasm, part of the same impulse that produced boys called Franklin and Darwin, and the birth records carry all three. The name has stayed rare but has never entirely disappeared.
Meaning
new town
From Old English niwe, 'new', and tun, 'settlement' or 'enclosure'. It is one of the commonest place names in England — there are dozens of Newtons — which is why the surname is so widespread.
How the name formed
- niwe tun
- Newton
Pronouncing Newton
NOO-tun
Two syllables, stress on the first. British speakers often say NYOO-tun.
Nicknames for Newton
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 1918203 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #180reached in 1880
- Change vs 2022
- −44.4%15 in 2025, from 27
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Newton in other languages
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Florida.
Newtons among us
people named Newton are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 113,872 born in 2025 was named Newton
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Newton sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Newton beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Newton in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A completely transparent meaning that any English speaker can decode unaided.
- It carries a scientist rather than a soldier or a saint, which is an unusual thing for a name to do.
- One spelling, and the pronunciation follows directly from it.
- Newt is the inevitable short form and it is a small damp animal, which children will notice.
- The name is bound tightly to one historical figure, so it will always be read as a tribute.
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What they receive
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Newton
Masculine · #5861 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Newtons are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,600 people named Newton are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Newton in 2025?
- Newton ranks #5861 among US boy names in 2025, with 15 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Newton?
- About 1 in every 113,872 US boys born in 2025 was named Newton — 15 in all.
- Will my child share the name Newton with classmates?
- Newton will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Newton
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Wilton#5861 · Ruby#5861 · Stacy#5861 · Garner#5861 · Caldwell#5861 · Severin#5861 · Sebastiano#5861 · Eber#5861
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Newton? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Newton and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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