Given name & surname
Baxter
“a baker”
Baxter is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “a baker.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “a baker.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Baxter through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,034
- 4,034 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2014
- 74 babies
- 2025
- 38
- #3,138 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −39%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 38 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,138 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 39.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 74 in 2014. In 2025, Tennessee had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,365 as a first name in 2020; 47,095 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.
Baxter’s family of names
Baxter has a related form in Bax. Baxter has a related form in Baxe. Baxter has a related form in Baxtar.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Baxter
Characters named Baxter: Baxter Stockman (fictional Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Baxter, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Cristopher
Cristopher is a masculine given name. It is used in English and Spanish.
>99% boys
Braxton
“from Brock's town”
99% boys · 1% girls
Tucker
“one who makes garments”
99% boys · 1% girls
Hamilton
“a dreamer; one who is wishful” · “from the flat-topped hill”
>99% boys
Carter
“a transporter of merchandise” · “one who transports goods; one who drives a cart”
93% boys · 7% girls
Ryder
“an accomplished horsewoman” · “an accomplished horseman”
95% boys · 5% girls
Bentley
“from the meadow of bent grass”
95% boys · 5% girls
Keoni
“God is gracious”
87% boys · 13% girls