Declining since 2001, #8,243 for boys today.
Popularity of Payne since 1900
Babies named Payne per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 5 |
| 1910s | 29 |
| 1920s | 12 |
| 1930s | 5 |
| 1940s | 0 |
| 1950s | 0 |
| 1960s | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 |
| 1980s | 50 |
| 1990s | 365 |
| 2000s | 551 |
| 2010s | 203 |
| 2020s | 80 |
Meaning & origin
Payne is a rare surname-style first name for boys, reflecting a broader trend of using family names as given names. First recorded in the United States in 1900, the name saw its peak popularity in the year 2000, but has been falling in use since 2001. By 2025, it had dropped to rank 8,243, with approximately 1 in 189,786 baby boys receiving the name. The name's trajectory continues downward, suggesting it remains a distinctive choice rather than a rising trend. Despite its low frequency, Payne has never broken into the top states, indicating a scattered rather than concentrated use. The name carries an air of old-fashioned charm and simplicity, aligning with the classic surname tradition that also produced names like Cole and Grant.
Payne is an English surname that originated as a patronymic from the Norman personal name Payn, itself a form of the Latin Paganus, originally meaning 'villager' or 'rustic'. The name was brought to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. As a given name, Payne has been in sporadic use since the 19th century, often chosen to honor a family surname or for its distinguished sound.
Nicknames & variants
Variants: Pain, Paine
Sibling names for Payne
Names that share Payne's style, for a brother or sister.
