Sutton
Torn between Sutton and another name? Compare them side by side →
Meaning
place name/surname, "southern settlement"
The story
Sutton began by telling people where a place was. Numerous English towns bear the name, from Old English for "south town" or "southern settlement." Their place-name passed into surnames, and the surname became a given name. It is a modest geographical beginning for a name that also belongs on a Broadway marquee. During the La Jolla tryout of Thoroughly Modern Millie, Sutton Foster was the understudy. She stepped into rehearsals, the producers saw her, and director Michael Mayer offered her the leading role. Her performance in the musical went on to win a Tony Award. The satisfying turn is in Foster's own career: someone waiting in reserve became the performer at the center of the show. An old name for a settlement south of somewhere else had found a very visible bearer.
How popular is Sutton around the world?
In the United States, 12,317 babies were named Sutton between 2020 and 2025.
Sutton is on the official records of the United States, Canada, Scotland, South Australia and England and Wales.
United States
1 in 1,800
In the United States, 12,317 babies were named Sutton between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Sutton peaked in the 2020s. In 2025 Sutton went to 1,697 girls and 1,018 boys in the US Social Security record, one of the few names given to girls and boys in nearly equal numbers.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Canada
1 in 2,900
In Canada, 79 girls named Sutton were born in 2024, the 378th most common name among girls that year.
In Canada, 47 boys named Sutton were born in 2024, the 585th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Scotland
1 in 15,000
In Scotland, 3 girls named Sutton were registered in 2024, the 790th most common name among girls that year.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
South Australia
1 in 18,0002017
In South Australia, 1 boy was registered as Sutton in 2017.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
England and Wales
1 in 34,000
In England and Wales, 10 boys named Sutton were born in 2025, ranked 2,269th among boys that year.
In England and Wales, 7 girls named Sutton were born in 2025, ranked 3,333rd among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Ireland
last on record 2023
Sutton is not on the 2025 record for Ireland, where names under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico, New Zealand and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Austria record for 1984 to 2025: Statistik Austria publishes every first name down to a single birth, so this name was not given there in those years (before 2010 the record covers babies with Austrian citizenship only). Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Sutton
Most people given the name Sutton in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
Names like Sutton · Names that go with Sutton · Gender-neutral names · Truly unisex names
The Sutton deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Sutton truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Sutton fits with your family’s names and surname.
Does Sutton fit YOUR family?
nametree reads your family’s names and finds the ones that belong. Free, private, no ads.
Add Sutton to your family’s tree →