Unisex name · since 1986
Payden
Payden has 1,343 recorded births since 1986 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2008 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #4,256 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,372 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,343
- born since 1986
- 2000s
- peak decade
1,343 babies have been named Payden since 1986, making it today's #7372 unisex name.
Social Security Administration records show Payden recorded 1,343 times among boys since 1986, holding rank #7372 nationally today, ahead of 47% of boys, peaking in the 2000s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1986 to 2025.
- #4,256 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #7,372 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,343 born since 1986
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Payden ranks #4,256 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,372 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,343 born since 1986, peaking in the 2000s.
- #4,256 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,372 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,343
- born since 1986
- 2000s
- peak decade
Payden's 1,343 recorded births place it above 90.64% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
10 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Payden compares
1,343 Top 27% higher than 73% 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
Payden's all-time total is 4x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Payden | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,343 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 75 | 34 | 22,252 |
Payden's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Payden's SSA record in two at 2006 and the more recent half accounts for 53% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 47%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 2023, with only 10 births recorded -- set against the 2008 peak of 75, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Payden popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1986–2025
- Peak year (2008)
- 75
- Annual births at peak, across 40 years of records
Payden popularity over time - girls
701 total births recorded since 1992 (Payden as girls' name)
Payden by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (477 births, 36% of the file).
2000s was Payden's strongest decade.
477 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 36% of all-time use.
Payden births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s 92
1980s
92 births
- 1990s
1990s
308 births
- 2000s
2000s
477 births
- 2010s
2010s
362 births
- 2020s 104
2020s
104 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 477 births (36% of all-time use).
How Payden 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 Payden's total volume
Payden by state
Where Payden concentrates geographically, total births since 1986
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 95 | 7.1% |
| #2 | Utah | | 33 | 2.5% |
| #3 | California | | 18 | 1.3% |
| #4 | Missouri | | 15 | 1.1% |
| #5 | Oklahoma | | 10 | 0.7% |
| #6 | Tennessee | | 7 | 0.5% |
| #7 | New York | | 6 | 0.4% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 5 | 0.4% |
95 of 1,343 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 10 reporting states.
Payden appears in 10 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Payden's data
- Payden's decade-level peak was the 2000s (477 total births); usage has since declined to 104 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Paydens (95 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 Payden
Nearby Names Like Payden
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Payden
Compare Payden side by side: Payden vs Payton Payden vs Payson Payden vs Payne
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Payden
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Payden: 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 (~39 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, 1986–2025 (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 Payden 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.