Dwayne
Dwayne or Dewayne is a traditionally male name, a variant of Duane. It is Gaelic in origin, deriving from the Irish saint Dubhán.
Meaning & Origin of Dwayne
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Dwayne or Dewayne is a traditionally male name, a variant of Duane. It is Gaelic in origin, deriving from the Irish saint Dubhán.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Origin & history
The Story of Dwayne
Dwayne first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1912, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1961, when 3,483 Dwaynes were born — ranking #111 that year. As of 2026, Dwayne ranks #1,524 for baby boys with 117 births, falling sharply (-34%). In total, more than 77K Dwaynes have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Dwayne
Phonetically similar names — useful when Dwayne 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 Dwayne
What does the name Dwayne mean?
How popular is Dwayne in 2026?
When was Dwayne most popular?
In which U.S. states is Dwayne most popular?
Is Dwayne a unisex name?
What names go well with Dwayne?
About the name Dwayne
Dwayne is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1912 and has accumulated 77K births in the dataset. Dwayne's peak popularity came in 1961 when it ranked #111. Use the chart and map above to compare Dwayne's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1961 →
- Names of the 1960s →
- Names starting with "D" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.