Paxton

Paxton is an English surname that originated as a locational name, meaning 'Pacc's town' or 'Pacc's settlement'. The name is derived from the Old English personal name 'Pæcc' (or 'Pacc') and 'tun', meaning 'enclosure', 'settlement', or 'town'. This indicates that the original bearers of the surname lived in a place named Paxton. There are several villages in England called Paxton, notably Great Paxton and Little Paxton in Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire).

The transition from a surname to a given name is a common phenomenon in English-speaking cultures, particularly in the United States. Paxton began to be used as a given name, primarily for boys, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its unisex usage has become more pronounced in recent decades, with an increasing number of girls also receiving the name, often appealing to parents looking for a modern and somewhat uncommon option.