Payton
Payton was the 440th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 701 babies. Its best year was 2010, when it ranked 79th; the most babies were born in 2009 (3,646). Over the last ten years it has moved down 287 places. More babies were named Payton in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Peyton) Pæga's farmstead (place name) · Old English
- Rank in 2025
- #440 girls, down 222 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 701girls
- Girls and boys
- 88% girls, 12% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20093,646 babies
- Total since 1880
- 84,784babies recorded
What does the name Payton mean?
Payton is a spelling of Peyton, pronounced the same way, so it shares Peyton's meaning and origin.
Peyton is a spelling of Payton, an English surname from a place name. Wiktionary derives Payton from a minor place in Sussex named from the Old English personal name Pæga and tun, 'farmstead, settlement'. Wikipedia notes that in Ireland Peyton was also one of the English forms of the Irish surname Ó Peatáin. As a first name it is a transferred surname, used for both boys and girls in the US.
Pǣga (Old English, “personal name”)tūn (Old English, “farmstead, settlement”)
How sure is this? Probable. The English place-name origin is the dictionary view; an Irish source (Ó Peatáin) applies to some families.
Related names: Payton, Paton, Peyten.
See also: English names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Peyton', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'Payton', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Peyton (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Payton popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #440 | #1,569 | 701 | 109 |
| 2020 | #218 | #1,122 | 1,333 | 176 |
| 2010 | #79 | #345 | 3,589 | 891 |
| 2000 | #163 | #219 | 2,059 | 1,581 |
| 1990 | #4,340 | #895 | 23 | 132 |
| 1980 | #7,920 | #1,899 | 8 | 30 |
| 1970 | — | #1,977 | — | 21 |
| 1960 | — | #2,816 | — | 10 |
| 1950 | — | #3,247 | — | 7 |
| 1940 | — | #2,062 | — | 13 |
| 1930 | — | #2,414 | — | 12 |
| 1920 | — | #2,029 | — | 17 |
| 1910 | — | #1,544 | — | 6 |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | #1,117 | — | 5 |
| 1880 | — | #1,028 | — | 5 |
How popular is Payton, counting every spelling?
Payton is a spelling of Peyton, a name family that ranked #149 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #440 for Payton on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,266 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peyton | 1,559 | #199 | 10,350 |
| Payton | 701 | #440 | 4,782 |
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 Payton?
701 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Payton (0.19 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Payton 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 12 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Payton.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Payton?
About 59,500 people born in the US named Payton are alive today, with a median age of 17; half are between 12 and 22. That makes Payton mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Payton by state
How common Payton was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Hampshire (3.9×), West Virginia (3.8×), Idaho (3.1×), Iowa (2.3×), Wisconsin (2.2×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in California, Texas, Delaware.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Payton: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Payton, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Payton
What does Payton mean?
Payton is a spelling of Peyton, which means “Pæga's farmstead (place name)” (Old English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Payton?
Payton was the 440th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 701 babies. Its best year was 2010, when it ranked 79th; the most babies were born in 2009 (3,646). Over the last ten years it has moved down 287 places. More babies were named Payton in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Payton a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 88% girls, 12% boys given the name Payton in the US.
Where is Payton most popular?
In 2021–2025, Payton was most common in New Hampshire (2.27 per 1,000 girls), followed by West Virginia and Idaho.