Dewayne
Dewayne was the 2457th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 55 babies. Its best year was 1962, when it ranked 303rd with 651 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 876 places. More babies were named Dewayne in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning variant of Duane; "dark" · Irish, American English
Say it duh-WAYN /dəˈweɪn/
- Rank in 2025
- #2,457 boys, down 311 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 55boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1962651 babies
- Total since 1880
- 26,598babies recorded
What does the name Dewayne mean?
Dewayne is a spelling of Duane (Dwayne), an English form of the Irish Dubhán, from dubh, "black, dark", with a diminutive ending. Wikipedia notes an early Irish Saint Dubhán and the surname Ó Dubháin. The De- spelling is American and was most popular in the 1960s and 1970s.
dubh (Irish, “black, dark”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Duane, Dwayne, Dwain, DeWayne.
See also: Irish names, names that mean a color.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Duane', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Dwayne', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Dewayne popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 107 since 1938.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,457 | 55 |
| 2020 | #2,146 | 65 |
| 2010 | #1,220 | 145 |
| 2000 | #863 | 184 |
| 1990 | #647 | 245 |
| 1980 | #391 | 441 |
| 1970 | #343 | 554 |
| 1960 | #324 | 580 |
| 1950 | #451 | 214 |
| 1940 | #463 | 156 |
| 1930 | #719 | 76 |
| 1920 | #993 | 48 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Dewayne, counting every spelling?
Dewayne has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Dewayne?
55 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Dewayne (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Dewayne born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 152 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Dewayne.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Dewayne?
About 20,300 people born in the US named Dewayne are alive today, with a median age of 52; half are between 38 and 63. That makes Dewayne mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Dewayne by state
How common Dewayne was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 44 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Dewayne: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Dewayne, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Dewayne · Sibling names for Dewayne
Questions about the name Dewayne
What does Dewayne mean?
Dewayne means “variant of Duane; "dark"” (Irish, American English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Dewayne?
Dewayne was the 2457th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 55 babies. Its best year was 1962, when it ranked 303rd with 651 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 876 places. More babies were named Dewayne in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Dewayne a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Dewayne in the US.
Where is Dewayne most popular?
In 2021–2025, Dewayne was most common in Louisiana (0.11 per 1,000 boys), followed by Oklahoma and Indiana.