US rank #685 Boys' name Peak 1947 354,385 births

Wayne — #685 US boys' name

354,385 babies named Wayne in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1947. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s2831890s5091900s11581910s115721920s264021930s411401940s751301950s880921960s547571970s246191980s147471990s75032000s37192010s30512020s1703
#685
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 95% of names given to boys today.

1950s
Peak decade

25% of everyone ever named Wayne was born in this single decade.

1947
Single peak year

10,168 babies were named Wayne in 1947 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Wayne

The Social Security Administration has registered 354,385 babies named Wayne between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Wayne currently holds the #685 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1947, when 10,168 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Wayne performed strongest in the 1950s, accumulating 88,092 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Wayne shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 24,081 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and California. In total, SSA state-level files list Wayne in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Wayne in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 354,385 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Wayne at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

354,385

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1947

10,168 births that year

Strongest decade: 1950s

Current rank

#685

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Wayne popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1947)
10,168
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-5,00005,00010,00015,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 23

Wayne popularity over time — girls

1,604 total births recorded since 1910 (Wayne as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 1,604 births
010203040 199219791968195719461935192419131910 6

Wayne by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1950s
Peak decade
1950s
88,092 births that decade — 25% of Wayne's all-time total
1880s2831890s5091900s11581910s115721920s264021930s411401940s751301950s880921960s547571970s246191980s147471990s75032000s37192010s30512020s1703

Wayne by state

Where Wayne concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Wayne
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
24,081 6.8%
#2 Pennsylvania
22,870 6.5%
#3 California
20,751 5.9%
#4 Illinois
20,154 5.7%
#5 Ohio
16,273 4.6%
#6 Michigan
14,438 4.1%
#7 Texas
13,103 3.7%
#8 Wisconsin
11,170 3.2%
New York share of Wayne's total US births 6.8%
Even split

24,081 of 354,385 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Wayne appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Wayne?
354,385 babies have been named Wayne since 1880. It currently ranks #685 among boys. The peak year was 1947 with 10,168 births.
When was Wayne most popular?
Wayne was most popular in the 1950s decade with 88,092 total births. The single peak year was 1947.
Where is Wayne most popular?
The top states for the name Wayne are New York (24,081 births), Pennsylvania (22,870 births), California (20,751 births).
How long has the name Wayne been used?
Wayne has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Wayne?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Waylon, Waymon, Wayland, Wayman, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Wayne

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.