Dwayne
Dwayne was the 1565th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 109 babies. Its best year was 1961, when it ranked 111th with 3,486 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 774 places. More babies were named Dwayne in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning variant of Duane; "dark" · Irish
Say it DWAYN /dweɪn/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,565 boys, down 469 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 109boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19613,486 babies
- Total since 1880
- 77,200babies recorded
What does the name Dwayne mean?
Dwayne is a spelling of Duane, an English form of the Irish Dubhán, a personal name from dubh, "black, dark", with a small-making ending. It also comes through the surname Ó Dubháin, "descendant of Dubhán". Wikipedia mentions an early Irish saint Dubhán. Spelled Duane, Dwayne or Dewayne, the name became popular in the US in the mid-20th century.
dubh (Irish, “black, dark”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Duane, Dewayne, Dwain.
See also: Irish names, names that mean a color.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Dwayne', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Duane', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Dwayne', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Dwayne popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 462 since 1931.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,565 | 109 |
| 2020 | #1,096 | 181 |
| 2010 | #678 | 349 |
| 2000 | #537 | 407 |
| 1990 | #308 | 830 |
| 1980 | #224 | 1,069 |
| 1970 | #141 | 2,317 |
| 1960 | #123 | 3,037 |
| 1950 | #366 | 342 |
| 1940 | #375 | 231 |
| 1930 | #512 | 136 |
| 1920 | #1,142 | 39 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Dwayne, counting every spelling?
Dwayne is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #1,177 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,565 for Dwayne on its own. Together these spellings went to 160 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dwayne | 109 | #1,565 | 696 |
| Duane | 51 | #2,578 | 345 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Dwayne?
109 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Dwayne (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Dwayne 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 77 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Dwayne.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Dwayne?
About 62,600 people born in the US named Dwayne are alive today, with a median age of 55; half are between 41 and 63. That makes Dwayne 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.
Dwayne by state
How common Dwayne was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Louisiana (4.8×), Pennsylvania (2.2×), Florida (2.1×), Virginia (1.7×). In 34 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 Dwayne: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Dwayne, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Dwayne · Sibling names for Dwayne
Questions about the name Dwayne
What does Dwayne mean?
Dwayne means “variant of Duane; "dark"” (Irish origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Dwayne?
Dwayne was the 1565th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 109 babies. Its best year was 1961, when it ranked 111th with 3,486 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 774 places. More babies were named Dwayne in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Dwayne a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Dwayne in the US.
Where is Dwayne most popular?
In 2021–2025, Dwayne was most common in Louisiana (0.39 per 1,000 boys), followed by Pennsylvania and Florida.