Payton
Payton is a given name in use in English speaking countries. One source indicates the name comes from a surname derived from a place name meaning "Pœga's town" in Old English. Another source indicates the name means "fighting man's estate".
- English
Meaning & Origin of Payton
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Payton is a given name in use in English speaking countries. One source indicates the name comes from a surname derived from a place name meaning "Pœga's town" in Old English. Another source indicates the name means "fighting man's estate".
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Payton
As a girl name
Payton first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1966, with 18 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2009: 3,646 births, good for #84 nationwide. About 38% of every Payton on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Payton ranks #415 for girls with 741 births, falling sharply (-36%). All told, over 61K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1960s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
Payton first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1880, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2000: 1,581 births, good for #219 nationwide. About 52% of every Payton on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Payton ranks #1,684 for boys with 101 births, falling sharply (-43%). All told, over 25K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Payton
Phonetically similar names — useful when Payton 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 Payton
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About the name Payton
Payton is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1966 and has accumulated 61K births in the dataset. Payton's peak popularity came in 2009 when it ranked #79. Use the chart and map above to compare Payton's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2009 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "P" →
- 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.