How Many People Are Named Payton?
An estimated 82,298 people in the United States have the first name Payton. It is used for both genders, with 70.7% female. The average bearer is 19 years old, and Payton peaked in popularity in 2008 with 4,852 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Payton 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 Payton paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Payton has undergone a significant gender shift. Originally given predominantly to boys, it is now more commonly a girls' name.
Estimated Living Americans
82,298
About 1 in 4,165 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Female
70.7% confidence
Average Age
19
years old
Peak Year
2008
4,852 births
Total Registered
83,955
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Payton
Payton is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (29.3%) and females (70.7%). Out of 83,955 total births registered, 24,626 were male and 59,329 were female.
Payton as a male name
Ranked #1,516 in 2024
117 male births in 2024
Peak: 2000 (1,581 births)
Payton as a female name
Ranked #381 in 2024
820 female births in 2024
Peak: 2009 (3,646 births)
Payton in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 71,786 people with the first name Payton, which placed it at #713 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, Payton was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 71,786 people with this name in that snapshot, 29.9% were male and 70.1% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is female 70.7% of the time.
Census Count
71,786
people with this name
Census Rank
#713
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
23.77
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Payton was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (79.18%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (7.33%) and Two or More Races (5.82%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Payton 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 Payton.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 79.18% | 56,841 |
| Black | 7.33% | 5,260 |
| Two or More Races | 5.82% | 4,179 |
| Hispanic | 5.66% | 4,060 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.12% | 804 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.89% | 639 |
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.
Payton: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Payton span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2000s, when 36,375 babies were registered. Payton has declined significantly from its peak in the 2000s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Payton by Decade
How has Payton 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.
Payton by State
Birth registrations for Payton span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, California, Illinois. The lowest are in District of Columbia, Rhode Island, Vermont. On average, about 1,580 Paytons were registered per state.
Payton + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Payton as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Payton
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
Payton: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Payton?
We estimate approximately 82,298 people named Payton 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 4,165 Americans share this first name.
Is Payton a common name?
Payton is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 99.4% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 83,955 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Payton most popular?
Payton reached peak popularity in 2008, when 4,852 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Payton is approximately 19 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Payton in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 71,786 people with the first name Payton. That placed it at #713 in the published Census first-name tables, or 23.77 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 Payton 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 Payton?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Payton was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 29.9% male and 70.1% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Payton?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Payton was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (79.18%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (7.33%) and Two or More Races (5.82%). 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 Payton a female name?
Payton is predominantly female. 70.7% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Payton 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. Payton peaked in 2008, and the average living bearer is about 19 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Payton Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Payton Smith, Payton Johnson, Payton 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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