Cayenne
Cayenne is the capital, prefecture, and largest city of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic coast. The city's motto is "fert aurum industria", which means "work brings wealth". Cayenne is the largest Francophone city of the South American continent.
Meaning & Origin of Cayenne
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Cayenne is the capital, prefecture, and largest city of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic coast. The city's motto is "fert aurum industria", which means "work brings wealth". Cayenne is the largest Francophone city of the South American continent.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Origin & history
The Story of Cayenne
As a girl name
Cayenne first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1978, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2012: 25 births, good for #5,397 nationwide. About 35% of every Cayenne on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. Cayenne last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 410 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
The earliest SSA record of Cayenne as a boy name dates back to 2012, when 10 babies received it. 2012 was its biggest year on record, with 10 newborns named Cayenne — #7,559 in the national rankings. Cayenne last appeared in the published SSA data in 2017, with 8 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 32 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 2010s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Cayenne
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Élie Castor , politician and author
- Léon Damas , poet and politician
- Félix Éboué , governor of Guadeloupe and colonial administrator of French Equatorial Africa
- Eddy Gaumont , jazz musician
- Antoine Karam , politician
- Gaston Monnerville , politician
- Suzanne Amomba Paillé , planter and philanthropist
- Henri Salvador , comedian and singer
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Where is Cayenne most common?
Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.
- France38%
- United States26%
- Germany14%
- Switzerland11%
- TW11%
Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.
Names that sound like Cayenne
Phonetically similar names — useful when Cayenne is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cayenne
What does the name Cayenne mean?
How popular is Cayenne in 2026?
When was Cayenne most popular?
In which U.S. states is Cayenne most popular?
Is Cayenne a unisex name?
What names go well with Cayenne?
About the name Cayenne
Cayenne is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1978 and has accumulated 410 births in the dataset. Cayenne's peak popularity came in 2012 when it ranked #5,397. Use the chart and map above to compare Cayenne's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2012 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.