How Many People Are Named Waylon?
An estimated 48,882 people in the United States have the first name Waylon. It is predominantly male (99.5%). The average bearer is 12 years old, and Waylon peaked in popularity in 2022 with 4,953 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Waylon 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 Waylon paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Waylon is overwhelmingly male, 273 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Waylon is a modern name. With an average bearer age of just 12, it has gained most of its popularity in recent years.
Estimated Living Americans
48,882
About 1 in 7,012 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
99.5% confidence
Average Age
12
years old
Peak Year
2022
4,953 births
Total Registered
49,881
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Waylon
Waylon is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 49,881 total births registered, 99.5% were male.
Waylon as a male name
Ranked #65 in 2024
4,878 male births in 2024
Peak: 2022 (4,918 births)
Waylon as a female name
Ranked #5,000 in 2024
27 female births in 2024
Peak: 2023 (36 births)
Waylon in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 23,106 people with the first name Waylon, which placed it at #1,461 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, Waylon was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 23,106 people with this name in that snapshot, 99.4% were male and 0.6% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 99.5% of the time.
Census Count
23,106
people with this name
Census Rank
#1,461
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
7.65
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Waylon was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (87.06%). The next largest recorded groups were Two or More Races (4.35%) and Hispanic (3.77%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Waylon 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 Waylon.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 87.06% | 20,117 |
| Two or More Races | 4.35% | 1,006 |
| Hispanic | 3.77% | 870 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 2.53% | 584 |
| Black | 1.66% | 383 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.63% | 146 |
Waylon: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Waylon span from the 1910s to the 2020s, covering 12 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2020s, when 23,092 babies were registered. Waylon remains highly popular today, with recent registration numbers near its historical peak.
Waylon by Decade
How has Waylon 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.
Waylon by State
Birth registrations for Waylon span all 50 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee. The lowest are in Rhode Island, Hawaii, Delaware. On average, about 932 Waylons were registered per state.
Waylon + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Waylon as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Waylon
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
Waylon: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Waylon?
We estimate approximately 48,882 people named Waylon 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 7,012 Americans share this first name.
Is Waylon a common name?
Waylon is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 99.1% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 49,881 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Waylon most popular?
Waylon reached peak popularity in 2022, when 4,953 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Waylon is approximately 12 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Waylon in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 23,106 people with the first name Waylon. That placed it at #1,461 in the published Census first-name tables, or 7.65 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 Waylon 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 Waylon?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Waylon was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 99.4% male and 0.6% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Waylon?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Waylon was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (87.06%). The next largest recorded groups were Two or More Races (4.35%) and Hispanic (3.77%). 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 Waylon a male name?
Waylon is predominantly male. 99.5% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Waylon 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. Waylon peaked in 2022, and the average living bearer is about 12 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Waylon Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Waylon Smith, Waylon Johnson, Waylon 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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