Given name & surname · also Old English
Denton
“from the town in the valley”
Denton is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the town in the valley.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the town in the valley.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Old 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.
Denton through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5,143
- 5,143 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1994
- 89 babies
- 2025
- 32
- #3,529 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −22%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 32 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,529 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 22.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 89 in 1994. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,586 as a first name in 2020; 26,745 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.
Denton’s family of names
Denton has a related form in Dentan. Denton has a related form in Dentea. Denton has a related form in Dentee.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Denntonlikely variant
- Denteavariant
- Denteevariant
- Denteyvariant
- Dentyvariant
- Dentievariant
- Dentivariant
- Dentenvariant
Show 4 moreShow fewer
People named Denton
- Cy YoungAmerican baseball player (1867–1955)
- Denton CooleyAmerican heart surgeon (1920–2016)
- Denton WelchEnglish writer and painter (1915-1948)
- Denton LotzAmerican theologian (1939-2019)
- Denton MasseyCanadian politician1900–1984
- Denton VaneAmerican actor (1890 – 1940)
- Denton MateychukCanadian ice hockey playerborn 2004
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Denton, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Devon
“from the beautiful farmland; of the divine”
86% boys · 14% girls
Denzel
“from a place in Cornwall”
>99% boys
Deshone
DeShone is a masculine given name from English. It is used in French.
85% boys · 15% girls
Dalton
“from the town in the valley”
99% boys · 1% girls
Sheldon
“from the steep valley”
>99% boys
Duncan
“a dark warrior”
>99% boys
Quinton
“from the queen's town or settlement”
>99% boys
DeAndre
“a manly man”
>99% boys