How to say it
BRAX · ton
/ˈbræk.stən/
Masculine
Braxton
Brock's settlement
What it means
English place name from Old English Brocc (a personal name meaning 'badger') + tun ('settlement'). Originally a surname. Toni Braxton the singer (Un-Break My Heart, 1996) is the dominant English-language anchor.
Braxton is an English place name from the Old English Brocc (a personal name meaning 'badger') + tūn ('settlement, enclosure'), giving 'Brock's settlement.' Originally a surname tied to villages in northern England. John Braxton Hicks the English physician (1823-1897) gave his surname to Braxton Hicks contractions, the pre-labor uterine contractions that almost every pregnancy textbook names. Toni Braxton the American singer (born 1967; Un-Break My Heart, 1996; seven Grammy Awards) is the dominant English-language anchor for the name in the African American community. As a US first name Braxton is modern: rare before 2000, then climbing. It entered the US top 200 in 2013. Common short: Brax.
Popularity over time
peaked at #118 in 2017, currently #172 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pop culture
Braxton Hicks contractions are the pre-labor reference some parents instinctively know; Toni Braxton's career anchors the African American naming use.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Toni Braxton American singer, seven-time Grammy winner, Un-Break My Heart
- John Braxton Hicks English physician, identified Braxton Hicks contractions in 1872
Spelling variants
- Braxston
- Braxon
Names with the same feeling
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