Unisex name · since 1966
Payton
Payton has 60,045 recorded births since 1966 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2009 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #527 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #440 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 60,045
- born since 1966
- 2000s
- peak decade
Payton currently ranks #440 among unisex names in America, with 60,045 babies recorded since 1966.
Social Security Administration records show Payton recorded 60,045 times among girls since 1966, holding rank #440 nationally today, ahead of 97% of girls, 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 1966 to 2025.
- #527 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #440 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 60,045 born since 1966
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Payton ranks #527 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #440 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 60,045 born since 1966, peaking in the 2000s.
- #527 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #440 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 60,045
- born since 1966
- 2000s
- peak decade
Payton's 60,045 recorded births place it above 99.27% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Payton compares
60,045 Top 4% higher than 96% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Payton's all-time total is 160x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Payton | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 60,045 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 3,646 | 21 | 19,840 |
Payton's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Payton's full recorded timeline at 1999, 90% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 10% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1974, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2009 peak of 3,646 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Payton popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1966–2025
- Peak year (2009)
- 3,646
- Annual births at peak, across 60 years of records
Payton popularity over time - boys
24,739 total births recorded since 1880 (Payton as boys' name)
Payton by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (23,380 births, 39% of the file).
2000s was Payton's strongest decade.
23,380 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 39% of all-time use.
Payton births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1960s 32
1960s
32 births
- 1970s 45
1970s
45 births
- 1980s 110
1980s
110 births
- 1990s 7,219
1990s
7,219 births
- 2000s
2000s
23,380 births
- 2010s
2010s
23,144 births
- 2020s 6,115
2020s
6,115 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 23,380 births (39% of all-time use).
How Payton compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Payton's total volume
Payton by state
Where Payton concentrates geographically, total births since 1966
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 4,915 | 8.2% |
| #2 | California | | 3,697 | 6.2% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 3,267 | 5.4% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 2,750 | 4.6% |
| #5 | Florida | | 2,711 | 4.5% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 2,568 | 4.3% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 2,369 | 3.9% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 2,196 | 3.7% |
4,915 of 60,045 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Payton appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Payton's data
- Payton's decade-level peak was the 2000s (23,380 total births); usage has since declined to 6,115 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Paytons (4,915 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 Payton
Nearby Names Like Payton
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Payton
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Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Payton
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Payton: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2009)
Similar record span (~59 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, 1966–2025 (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 Payton 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.