Payton

Did you know?

A few things about Payton you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Payton

Payton Pritchard

American basketball player (born 1998)

Choose Payton and your child shares a first name with Payton Pritchard, an American basketball player. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Payton, like who?” Payton Pritchard's Wikipedia article is available in 21 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Payton Pritchard on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Marc-Gregor Campredon, CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 2,293 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Payton, 701 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Payton would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryPayton has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Paytons, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 2010, when it ranked #79. Today it's #440, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowPayton was 2.6× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 882 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 2,293.
• 🍂TrendPayton has slipped 222 places over the last five years and now sits at #440. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedPayton is most popular in South Dakota, where it ranks #117, followed by New Hampshire (#139) and Delaware (#140). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• ⚖️Boy or girlPayton is given to both boys and girls: 87% of the 810 babies named Payton in 2025 were girls. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
• 💬MeaningIn Old English, Payton means “Pæga's settlement”. Our records link it to English and Irish roots.

About the name Payton

Payton is a gender-neutral name of English and Irish origin meaning “Pæga's settlement”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with P and ending in “-ton”. US birth records list Payton for girls from 1966 to 2025, in 53 of those 60 years. Its best year was 2010, when it ranked #79 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #440, with 701 babies. Of the 810 US babies named Payton in 2025, 87% were girls and 13% were boys.

Origin:English namesIrish names