Wayne
Wayne was given to 422 boys in 2025, #655 among boys’ names; 356,422 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 193,000 Americans named Wayne and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (54% of everyone recorded); the median is 67 years old and half are between 55 and 75.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Wayne by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Wayne mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Wayne is “a male given name transferred from the surname.” Its etymology gives the sense “wagon” (wægen).
An occupational surname for a cartwright, Old English wægen (“wagon”). Cf. wain.
/weɪn/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Wayne?
#655 among boys’ names, 2025
Wayne rose from #744 in 2015 to #655 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born rose from 0.17 to 0.25 per 1,000.
10,202 babies in 1947, the peak
Wayne peaked in 1947, when 10,202 babies were given it (10,169 boys, #30 among boys’ names). The 422 births of 2025 are 4% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 422 | #655 | 0.25 |
| 2024 | 396 | #686 | 0.23 |
| 2023 | 359 | #734 | 0.21 |
| 2022 | 329 | #770 | 0.19 |
| 2021 | 318 | #779 | 0.18 |
| 2020 | 305 | #775 | 0.18 |
| 2019 | 322 | #745 | 0.18 |
| 2018 | 299 | #778 | 0.16 |
| 2017 | 281 | #810 | 0.15 |
| 2016 | 330 | #740 | 0.17 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 325 | #744 | 0.17 |
| 2014 | 292 | #789 | 0.15 |
| 2013 | 301 | #756 | 0.16 |
| 2012 | 291 | #781 | 0.15 |
| 2011 | 327 | #702 | 0.17 |
| 2010 | 284 | #780 | 0.15 |
| 2009 | 304 | #754 | 0.15 |
| 2008 | 344 | #692 | 0.17 |
| 2007 | 354 | #675 | 0.17 |
| 2006 | 358 | #649 | 0.17 |
| 2005 | 319 | #667 | 0.16 |
| 2004 | 364 | #598 | 0.18 |
| 2003 | 382 | #580 | 0.19 |
| 2002 | 420 | #533 | 0.22 |
| 2001 | 421 | #527 | 0.22 |
| 2000 | 453 | #506 | 0.23 |
| 1999 | 507 | #453 | 0.26 |
| 1998 | 525 | #436 | 0.27 |
| 1997 | 515 | #436 | 0.27 |
| 1996 | 605 | #389 | 0.32 |
| 1995 | 674 | #358 | 0.35 |
| 1994 | 746 | #333 | 0.39 |
| 1993 | 834 | #318 | 0.43 |
| 1992 | 917 | #293 | 0.46 |
| 1991 | 1,031 | #263 | 0.51 |
| 1990 | 1,148 | #242 | 0.56 |
| 1989 | 1,168 | #231 | 0.58 |
| 1988 | 1,242 | #209 | 0.65 |
| 1987 | 1,298 | #200 | 0.70 |
| 1986 | 1,343 | #191 | 0.73 |
| 1985 | 1,384 | #184 | 0.75 |
| 1984 | 1,478 | #174 | 0.82 |
| 1983 | 1,529 | #171 | 0.85 |
| 1982 | 1,714 | #159 | 0.94 |
| 1981 | 1,751 | #156 | 1.0 |
| 1980 | 1,843 | #146 | 1.0 |
| 1979 | 1,831 | #149 | 1.1 |
| 1978 | 1,888 | #138 | 1.1 |
| 1977 | 1,950 | #138 | 1.2 |
| 1976 | 2,020 | #131 | 1.3 |
| 1975 | 2,134 | #120 | 1.4 |
| 1974 | 2,216 | #120 | 1.4 |
| 1973 | 2,448 | #107 | 1.6 |
| 1972 | 2,792 | #103 | 1.7 |
| 1971 | 3,331 | #92 | 1.9 |
| 1970 | 4,006 | #80 | 2.2 |
| 1969 | 3,896 | #75 | 2.2 |
| 1968 | 4,251 | #63 | 2.4 |
| 1967 | 4,470 | #62 | 2.6 |
| 1966 | 4,891 | #59 | 2.7 |
| 1965 | 5,112 | #65 | 2.7 |
| 1964 | 5,832 | #61 | 2.9 |
| 1963 | 6,031 | #63 | 3.0 |
| 1962 | 6,324 | #63 | 3.1 |
| 1961 | 6,762 | #61 | 3.2 |
| 1960 | 7,193 | #58 | 3.4 |
| 1959 | 7,878 | #51 | 3.7 |
| 1958 | 8,329 | #48 | 3.9 |
| 1957 | 8,687 | #47 | 4.0 |
| 1956 | 8,717 | #45 | 4.1 |
| 1955 | 8,728 | #44 | 4.2 |
| 1954 | 9,175 | #41 | 4.5 |
| 1953 | 8,905 | #40 | 4.5 |
| 1952 | 9,087 | #38 | 4.7 |
| 1951 | 9,327 | #37 | 5.0 |
| 1950 | 9,259 | #35 | 5.2 |
| 1949 | 8,927 | #35 | 5.0 |
| 1948 | 8,682 | #34 | 4.9 |
| 1947 | 10,169 | #30 | 5.6 |
| 1946 | 8,807 | #29 | 5.4 |
| 1945 | 6,738 | #35 | 5.0 |
| 1944 | 6,724 | #37 | 4.9 |
| 1943 | 6,761 | #41 | 4.7 |
| 1942 | 6,484 | #41 | 4.7 |
| 1941 | 6,112 | #37 | 5.0 |
| 1940 | 5,727 | #39 | 4.9 |
| 1939 | 5,653 | #39 | 5.1 |
| 1938 | 5,226 | #40 | 4.7 |
| 1937 | 4,613 | #44 | 4.3 |
| 1936 | 4,409 | #45 | 4.3 |
| 1935 | 4,057 | #49 | 3.9 |
| 1934 | 4,035 | #48 | 3.9 |
| 1933 | 3,562 | #52 | 3.6 |
| 1932 | 3,388 | #57 | 3.2 |
| 1931 | 3,217 | #58 | 3.1 |
| 1930 | 2,981 | #65 | 2.7 |
| 1929 | 2,741 | #69 | 2.5 |
| 1928 | 2,855 | #69 | 2.6 |
| 1927 | 2,882 | #67 | 2.6 |
| 1926 | 2,811 | #68 | 2.5 |
| 1925 | 2,713 | #74 | 2.4 |
| 1924 | 2,730 | #74 | 2.4 |
| 1923 | 2,597 | #75 | 2.4 |
| 1922 | 2,476 | #78 | 2.3 |
| 1921 | 2,417 | #81 | 2.2 |
| 1920 | 2,180 | #86 | 2.0 |
| 1919 | 1,955 | #90 | 2.0 |
| 1918 | 1,912 | #91 | 1.9 |
| 1917 | 1,715 | #96 | 1.9 |
| 1916 | 1,587 | #98 | 1.8 |
| 1915 | 1,517 | #97 | 1.8 |
| 1914 | 1,001 | #111 | 1.5 |
| 1913 | 760 | #113 | 1.5 |
| 1912 | 617 | #118 | 1.4 |
| 1911 | 280 | #126 | 1.2 |
| 1910 | 228 | #141 | 1.2 |
| 1909 | 163 | #155 | 1.0 |
| 1908 | 178 | #138 | 1.2 |
| 1907 | 148 | #155 | 1.0 |
| 1906 | 116 | #167 | 0.87 |
| 1905 | 107 | #178 | 0.81 |
| 1904 | 92 | #193 | 0.72 |
| 1903 | 92 | #182 | 0.77 |
| 1902 | 90 | #187 | 0.73 |
| 1901 | 87 | #173 | 0.82 |
| 1900 | 85 | #214 | 0.56 |
| 1899 | 57 | #224 | 0.54 |
| 1898 | 68 | #214 | 0.55 |
| 1897 | 51 | #243 | 0.45 |
| 1896 | 55 | #247 | 0.46 |
| 1895 | 56 | #236 | 0.48 |
| 1894 | 58 | #226 | 0.50 |
| 1893 | 55 | #234 | 0.49 |
| 1892 | 35 | #318 | 0.29 |
| 1891 | 29 | #317 | 0.29 |
| 1890 | 45 | #254 | 0.41 |
| 1889 | 32 | #312 | 0.29 |
| 1888 | 41 | #283 | 0.34 |
| 1887 | 29 | #310 | 0.29 |
| 1886 | 23 | #368 | 0.21 |
| 1885 | 24 | #362 | 0.22 |
| 1884 | 34 | #300 | 0.30 |
| 1883 | 25 | #336 | 0.24 |
| 1882 | 22 | #387 | 0.19 |
| 1881 | 30 | #295 | 0.30 |
| 1880 | 23 | #361 | 0.21 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Wayne a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Wayne has been given almost only to boys: 1,604 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Wayne: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Wayne, and how old are they?
193,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 54% of the 356,422 Americans ever recorded as Wayne. The median Wayne alive today is 67 years old; half are between 55 and 75.
The 2020 Census counted 213,032 people named Wayne (286 women and girls, 212,746 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 222,465 born in the U.S. The Census count is 4% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 20,000 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 102,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 43,000 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 18,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 6,060 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 4,250 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Wayne born?
The states with the most babies named Wayne are New York, Pennsylvania and California, with 19% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 24,119 | #988 | 0.8× |
| Pennsylvania | 22,886 | #574 | 1.0× |
| California | 20,781 | #829 | 0.8× |
| Illinois | 20,173 | #746 | 1.1× |
| Ohio | 16,296 | #536 | 0.9× |
| Michigan | 14,462 | #390 | 0.9× |
| Texas | 13,150 | #747 | 0.6× |
| Wisconsin | 11,180 | #565 | 1.3× |
| Massachusetts | 10,865 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| New Jersey | 10,614 | #1,173 | 1.0× |
Where Wayne is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Wayne is most over-represented in Hawaii: since 1910 it was given 1.8 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Wayne with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 3 names spelled alike, given to 356,929 babies since 1880, Wayne is the most given (100% of them). In 2025 it was given to 422 of their 422 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Wayne
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Wayne and names like it
- Compare Wayne and WainoBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1940sWayne peaked in 1947.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Wayne since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Wayne: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1947The year the most babies were named Wayne.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Wayne alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with WMost given first.