How Many People Are Named Payson?
An estimated 2,483 people in the United States have the first name Payson. It is used for both genders, with 55.6% male. The average bearer is 13 years old, and Payson peaked in popularity in 2012 with 171 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Payson as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Payson paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Payson is a genuinely unisex name, given to both boys and girls in roughly equal numbers.
- Payson is a modern name. With an average bearer age of just 13, it has gained most of its popularity in recent years.
Estimated Living Americans
2,483
About 1 in 138,040 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
55.6% confidence
Average Age
13
years old
Peak Year
2012
171 births
Total Registered
2,528
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Payson
Payson is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (55.6%) and females (44.4%). Out of 2,528 total births registered, 1,406 were male and 1,122 were female.
Payson as a male name
Ranked #2,649 in 2024
50 male births in 2024
Peak: 2015 (78 births)
Payson as a female name
Ranked #3,934 in 2024
38 female births in 2024
Peak: 2011 (116 births)
Payson in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,940 people with the first name Payson, which placed it at #7,736 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Payson was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 1,940 people with this name in that snapshot, 56.8% were male and 43.2% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 55.6% of the time.
Census Count
1,940
people with this name
Census Rank
#7,736
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
0.64
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Payson was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (84.57%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (6.12%) and Two or More Races (5.40%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Payson in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Payson.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 84.57% | 1,644 |
| Hispanic | 6.12% | 119 |
| Two or More Races | 5.40% | 105 |
| Black | 1.95% | 38 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.23% | 24 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.72% | 14 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Payson: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Payson span from the 1910s to the 2020s, covering 9 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 1,367 babies were registered. While Payson is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Payson by Decade
How has Payson tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Payson by State
Birth registrations for Payson span all 20 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Arizona, Utah, Texas. The lowest are in Virginia, Indiana, Louisiana. On average, about 29 Paysons were registered per state.
Payson + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Payson as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Payson
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
Payson: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Payson?
We estimate approximately 2,483 people named Payson are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 138,040 Americans share this first name.
Is Payson a common name?
Payson is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 94.5% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 2,528 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Payson most popular?
Payson reached peak popularity in 2012, when 171 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Payson is approximately 13 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Payson in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 1,940 people with the first name Payson. That placed it at #7,736 in the published Census first-name tables, or 0.64 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Payson was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Payson?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Payson was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 56.8% male and 43.2% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Payson?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Payson was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (84.57%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (6.12%) and Two or More Races (5.40%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Payson a male name?
Payson is predominantly male. 55.6% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Payson have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Payson peaked in 2012, and the average living bearer is about 13 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Payson Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Payson Smith, Payson Johnson, Payson Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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