Boys' name · since 1880
Dayton
Dayton has 15,759 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2008 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #945 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,098 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 15,759
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
Dayton currently ranks #1098 among boys' names in America, with 15,759 babies recorded since 1880.
Dayton has 15,759 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1098 as of the latest data, more common than 92% of boys, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #945 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,098 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 15,759 born since 1880
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dayton ranks #945 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,098 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 15,759 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.
- #945 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,098 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 15,759
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
Dayton's 15,759 recorded births place it above 97.92% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
45 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Dayton compares
15,759 Top 7% higher than 93% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Dayton's all-time total is 43x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Dayton | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 15,759 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 568 | 34 | 22,252 |
Dayton's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Dayton's SSA record in two at 1956 and the more recent half accounts for 82% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 18%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1897, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2008 peak of 568, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Dayton popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2008)
- 568
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Dayton popularity over time - girls
636 total births recorded since 1991 (Dayton as girls' name)
Dayton by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (4,782 births, 30% of the file).
2000s was Dayton's strongest decade.
4,782 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 30% of all-time use.
Dayton births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 45
1880s
45 births
- 1890s 80
1890s
80 births
- 1900s 54
1900s
54 births
- 1910s 518
1910s
518 births
- 1920s 756
1920s
756 births
- 1930s 609
1930s
609 births
- 1940s 509
1940s
509 births
- 1950s 453
1950s
453 births
- 1960s 339
1960s
339 births
- 1970s 386
1970s
386 births
- 1980s 590
1980s
590 births
- 1990s
1990s
2,212 births
- 2000s
2000s
4,782 births
- 2010s
2010s
3,259 births
- 2020s 1,167
2020s
1,167 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 4,782 births (30% of all-time use).
How Dayton compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Dayton's total volume
Dayton by state
Where Dayton concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 1,079 | 6.8% |
| #2 | California | | 661 | 4.2% |
| #3 | Missouri | | 594 | 3.8% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 575 | 3.6% |
| #5 | Oklahoma | | 432 | 2.7% |
| #6 | Indiana | | 429 | 2.7% |
| #7 | Tennessee | | 421 | 2.7% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 418 | 2.7% |
1,079 of 15,759 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 45 reporting states.
Dayton appears in 45 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Dayton's data
- Dayton's decade-level peak was the 2000s (4,782 total births); usage has since declined to 1,167 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Daytons (1,079 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Dayton
Nearby Names Like Dayton
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dayton
Compare Dayton side by side: Dayton vs Daylen Dayton vs Dayne Dayton vs Daylon
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Dayton
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Dayton: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2008)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Dayton draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.