UK boy's name
Sefton
A masculine name of English origin meaning "settlement by the seven hills".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2018. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Sefton is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Sefton popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2018 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4749, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2017, with 4 births.
This profile covers 7 England and Wales registrations across 2 recorded years from 2017 to 2018. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 75% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 7 living people in the UK are called Sefton. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2019 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Sefton ranked #4749 for boys in England and Wales in 2018, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2017, when 4 boys were registered as Sefton.
- • About 7 living people in the UK are estimated to have Sefton as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4749
2018
Births in 2018
3
Latest year
Peak year
2017
4 births
Estimated living
7
2026
Meaning
What does Sefton mean?
The name Sefton is of English origin and is believed to have derived from the Old English words "sæ" meaning "sea" and "tun" meaning "town" or "settlement." This suggests that the name may have originated in a coastal town or village in England, possibly referring to a place near the sea.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sefton can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. In this record, the name appears as "Sextone," referring to a settlement in the county of Lancashire.
The name Sefton is closely associated with the Sefton family, a prominent English noble family that can trace their ancestry back to the 12th century. The first recorded member of this family was William de Sefton, who lived during the reign of King Henry II (1154-1189). The Sefton family held significant land and power in the region of Sefton, located in the modern-day Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England.
One notable historical figure with the name Sefton was Sir William Sefton Moorhouse (1825-1915), an English civil engineer and railway contractor. He played a crucial role in the construction of numerous railway lines in Australia and New Zealand during the 19th century.
Another person of historical significance bearing the name Sefton was Sir Oswald Sefton Brancker (1877-1957), a British Air Marshal and one of the founding figures of the Royal Air Force. He served as the Air Member for Supply and Organisation on the Air Council during World War I and played a vital role in the development of the RAF.
In the field of literature, Sefton Delmer (1904-1979) was a British journalist and author who worked as a war correspondent during World War II. He is best known for his book "Trail Sinister," which documented his experiences as a prisoner of war in Germany.
It's worth noting that while the name Sefton has English origins, it has been used in various parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries, over the centuries. However, the name remains relatively uncommon, especially in modern times.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Sefton over time
The chart below shows babies named Sefton registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2017 to 2018. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Sefton, the clearest high point is 2017. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2018, compared with 4 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sefton by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Sefton was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #4373 | 7 | 2 |
Related
Names similar to Sefton
- Samuel 108,505
- Sebastian 33,008
- Sam 20,889
- Stanley 16,354
- Sonny 15,028
- Sean 15,006
- Scott 12,587
- Seth 9,841
- Syed 9,050
- Stephen 8,884
- Spencer 8,333
- Steven 6,970
FAQ
Sefton: questions and answers
How popular is the name Sefton in the UK right now?
In 2018, Sefton was ranked #4749 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Sefton most popular?
The peak year on record was 2017, with 4 babies registered as Sefton in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Sefton?
A masculine name of English origin meaning "settlement by the seven hills".
How many people are called Sefton in the UK?
A total of 7 babies have been registered as Sefton across the 2 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.