Overton
Masculine · “the farm on the bank or slope”
Overton is an English place-name surname, three syllables with a steady, traditional sound. In our own time the surname has become a phrase for the range of ideas a public will accept.
How old is the name Overton?
Overton first appears in US birth records in 1884 — 141 years ago. The typical Overton alive today was born around 1926, making them about 99 years old. About 100 people named Overton are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Overton most popular?
Overton peaked in 1888, reaching #917 nationally. See the whole 1888 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From ofer + tūn to Overton
The story of Overton
There are Overtons all over England, and many of them sit on the slope of a hill or the bank of a river, the ofer that gave them their name. The surname crossed to America and became an occasional first name for boys. In recent decades it gained a new life as the Overton window, a phrase named for Joseph Overton, an analyst at a Michigan policy institute, who described how the range of politically acceptable ideas can shift over time.
Meaningscholars disagree
the farm on the bank or slope
Overton comes from English place-names joining ofer, a bank or slope, or uferra, upper, to tūn, a farm. Which applies depends on the place.
How the name formed
- ofer + tūn
- Overton
Pronouncing Overton
OH-ver-tun
Stress on the first syllable.
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
- 1884
- Most boys named
- 191829 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #917reached in 1888
- Change vs 2000
- 0.0%5 in 2003, from 5
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.
Overtons among us
people named Overton are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Overton sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It has a real English place-name history.
- It sounds dignified and traditional.
- It is almost never given now, so it is distinctive.
- People will take it for a surname first.
- Those who follow politics will think of the Overton window.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Overton to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Overton? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Overton
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Overtons are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 100 people named Overton are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Overton in 2025?
- Overton is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Overton with classmates?
- Overton will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More O names
The most-given names starting with O, all years combined.
Oliver#3 · Owen#31 · Oscar#223 · Omar#260 · Otis#652 · Orlando#871 · Otto#277 · Orville#6143
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Overton? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Overton and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle