Given name & surname
Afton
“from the Afton river”
Afton is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the Afton river.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the Afton river.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1895. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Afton through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 6,077
- 854 boys · 5,223 girls
- Most popular year
- 1982
- 186 babies
- 2025
- 52
- #3,519 for girls · #8,265 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −40%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 16% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 43 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 3,519 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 41.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 186 in 1983. It also appeared in 9 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Utah had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (18). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,065 as a first name in 2020; 231 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Afton’s family of names
Afton may belong to the same name family as AFFTON. This is a tentative spelling connection.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Afton
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Afton, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Halley
“from the hall near the meadow”
>99% girls
Holly
“of the holly tree”
>99% girls
Raven
Raven is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “resembling the black bird; a dark and mysterious beauty” (English) and “resembling the blackbird; a dark and mysterious man” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
5% boys · 95% girls
Marni
“woman of the sea”
>99% girls
Whitley
“from the white meadow”
15% boys · 85% girls
Gardenia
“resembling the sweetsmelling flower”
>99% girls
Autumn
“born in the fall”
>99% girls
Ashurst
“ash-tree”
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