Payson
The Story of Payson
As a girl name
American parents first put Payson on the record books as a girl name in 1995, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2011, when 116 Paysons were born — ranking #1,758 that year. The 2010s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 62% of all recorded Paysons. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #3,357 among girl names with 47 births, holding steady (+2%). In total, more than 1K Paysons have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1990s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
American parents first put Payson on the record books as a boy name in 1917, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2015, when 78 Paysons were born — ranking #1,870 that year. The 2010s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 41% of all recorded Paysons. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #2,800 among boy names with 46 births, gradually falling (-13%). In total, more than 1K Paysons 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 Payson
Phonetically similar names — useful when Payson 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 Payson
What does the name Payson mean?
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In which U.S. states is Payson most popular?
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About the name Payson
Payson is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1917 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Payson's peak popularity came in 2015 when it ranked #1,870. Use the chart and map above to compare Payson's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2015 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "P" →
- Browse all boy 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.