ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👧As Girl Name 1966 First Year 2026 Last Year 2009 Peak Year #79 Peak Rank 61K Total Count 54 Years Active 👦As Boy Name 1880 First Year 2026 Last Year 2000 Peak Year #219 Peak Rank 25K Total Count 122 Years Active 🌍 ## 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 ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payton%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payton%5F%28given%5Fname%29) 📖 ## 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. Its peak popularity came in 2009, when 3,646 Paytons were born — ranking #84 that year. As of 2026, Payton ranks #415 for girls with 741 births, falling sharply (-36%). In total, more than 61K Paytons have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1960s through 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. Its peak popularity came in 2000, when 1,581 Paytons were born — ranking #219 that year. As of 2026, Payton ranks #1,684 for boys with 101 births, falling sharply (-43%). In total, more than 25K Paytons have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## 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. * [Peyton](/peyton) * [Patton](/patton) * Patten * Poten * [Paton](/paton) * Piton * [Paten](/paten) * [Paden](/paden) * [Payden](/payden) * Potten * Petain * Patan Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Payton What does the name Payton mean? 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". How popular is Payton in 2026? In 2026, Payton ranks #415 among girls' names in the U.S., with 741 babies given the name that year. When was Payton most popular? Payton reached its peak popularity in 2009, ranking #79 that year with 3,646 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Payton most popular? Payton has historically been most popular in Wyoming, Vermont, Iowa. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Payton. Is Payton a unisex name? Yes — Payton is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 71% of Paytons assigned female and 29% assigned male historically. What names go well with Payton? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Payton include Kate, Mollie, Isabelle. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧KatePeak #79](/kate)[👧MolliePeak #79](/mollie)[👧IsabellePeak #79](/isabelle)[👧LylaPeak #79](/lyla) ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦LoydPeak #219](/loyd)[👦AlbertoPeak #218](/alberto)[👦QuentinPeak #220](/quentin)[👦IsmaelPeak #218](/ismael) ## 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 → ](/year/2009) * [ Names of the 2000s → ](/decade/2000s) * [ Names starting with "P" → ](/letter/p) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.