Total births
1,300
Boys' name · since 1900
Payne
1,300 babies named Payne in U.S. Social Security records since 1900, with the highest year being 2000. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #9026
- among boys today
- 1,300
- born since 1900
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 37%
- more common than other boys
Payne currently ranks #9026 among boys' names in America, with 1,300 babies recorded since 1900.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Payne has been recorded 1,300 times among boys since 1900, currently ranked #9026 nationally and more common than 37% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2000s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1900 to 2025.
- #9026 among boys today
- 1,300 born since 1900
- 2000s peak decade
- 37% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Payne is currently the #9026 boys' name in America, more common than 37% of boys - 1,300 born since 1900, peaking in the 2000s.
- #9026
- among boys today
- 1,300
- born since 1900
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 37%
- more common than other boys
Payne vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#9026
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 37% of names given to boys today.
2000s
Peak decade
42% of everyone ever named Payne was born in this single decade.
2000
Single peak year
121 babies were named Payne in 2000 - its busiest year on record.
How Payne compares
1,300 Top 27% higher than 73% of 14,294 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
Payne's all-time total is 4x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Payne | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,300 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 121 | 23 | 22,252 |
Payne's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Payne splits its recorded history at 2001: 55% of all births land in the more recent half, 45% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1900 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2000 peak of 121 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Payne at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2000
Current rank
#9,026
Active since
1900
Payne popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1900–2025
- Peak year (2000)
- 121
- Annual births at peak, across 126 years of records
Payne popularity over time - girls
16 total births recorded since 1994 (Payne as girls' name)
Payne by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Payne's strongest decade.
551 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 42% of all-time use.
Payne births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 5
1900s
5 births
- 1910s 29
1910s
29 births
- 1920s 12
1920s
12 births
- 1930s 5
1930s
5 births
- 1980s 50
1980s
50 births
- 1990s
1990s
365 births
- 2000s
2000s
551 births
- 2010s 203
2010s
203 births
- 2020s 80
2020s
80 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 551 births (42% of all-time use).
How Payne 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 Payne's total volume
Payne vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Payne by state
Where Payne concentrates geographically, total births since 1900
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 91 | 7.0% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 37 | 2.8% |
| #3 | Michigan | | 19 | 1.5% |
| #4 | California | | 17 | 1.3% |
| #5 | Florida | | 12 | 0.9% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 11 | 0.8% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 8 | 0.6% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 8 | 0.6% |
Texas share of Payne's total US births 7.0%
Even split
91 of 1,300 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 12 reporting states.
Payne appears in 12 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Payne? ▼
Since 1900, Social Security records show 1,300 babies named Payne. Today it holds rank #9026 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 2000, with 121 births.
When was Payne most popular? ▼
Payne was most popular in the 2000s decade with 551 total births. The single peak year was 2000.
Where is Payne most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Payne are Texas (91 births), Ohio (37 births), Michigan (19 births).
How long has the name Payne been used? ▼
Payne has been recorded in Social Security data since 1900, spanning 126 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Payne? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Payton, Payson, Payden, Payten, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Payne's data
- Payne's decade-level peak was the 2000s (551 total births); usage has since declined to 80 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Paynes (91 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Payne
Nearby Names Like Payne
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Payne
Payton Boy
#1517 24,739 births
Payson Boy
#2646 1,443 births
Payden Boy
#6312 1,343 births
Payten Boy
#12934 631 births
Payam Boy
193 births
Compare Payne side by side: Payne vs Payton Payne vs Payson Payne vs Payden
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Payne
Sherwood #9025
5,671 births · Peak 1938
Arland #9027
1,807 births · Peak 1935
Whitfield #9024
434 births · Peak 1919
Victoriano #9028
1,415 births · Peak 1929
Hartford #9023
456 births · Peak 1924
Wendall #9029
2,433 births · Peak 1958
Remus #9022
956 births · Peak 2019
Creston #9030
835 births · Peak 1989
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1900–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Payne: #9026 Boys' Name - 1,300 Births, Peak 2000." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/payne. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Payne 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 June 2026.