unisex name
Peyton
PAY-tən
- Origin English
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 152,497
the United States
#199
2025 births
Peyton is a name of Old English origin meaning "Pæga's settlement." It is an English place name and surname, and its shift to predominantly female use in America is one of the clearer gender flips in our data.
- Peyton is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2009, when 8,028 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,694 babies in the United States is given this name.
- Peyton started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
- First appears in US birth records in 1884.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Peyton over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 12 |
| 1890s | 40 |
| 1900s | 11 |
| 1910s | 170 |
| 1920s | 218 |
| 1930s | 180 |
| 1940s | 215 |
| 1950s | 214 |
| 1960s | 353 |
| 1970s | 496 |
| 1980s | 841 |
| 1990s | 13,707 |
| 2000s | 52,448 |
| 2010s | 55,458 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 16,239 |
What Peyton means
Peyton means the farmstead belonging to Pæga. The first element is a personal name of unrecoverable meaning and the second is tun, an enclosure — so "fighting man's estate", widely given, is not derivable from either part.
Where Peyton comes from
Peyton comes from Peyton in Suffolk, combining the Old English personal name Pæga, whose own meaning is lost, with tun, a farmstead. Families took it as a surname and carried it to Virginia, where the Peytons became a prominent colonial family. The reading fighting man's estate appears in many reference works and has no basis in either element — it looks like a back-formation from the sound. Its use for girls grew sharply in America from the 1990s.
Peyton in use
Our data records Peyton for both sexes and shows it falling, peaking in 2009, at 199 in the United States against 697 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1884. It is among our detected gender flips, following Ashley and Taylor — though as our Ashley entry notes, flips run both ways more often than reputation suggests.
How popular is Peyton?
In 2025, Peyton was given to 1,957 babies in the United States, ranking #199 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Peyton is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Peyton
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Peyton also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Peyton over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Peyton in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Peyton
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Peyton — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Peyton
What does the name Peyton mean?
Peyton means "Pæga's settlement," from an Old English place name in Suffolk.
Does Peyton mean fighting man's estate?
No. That reading is widely repeated but has no basis in either element of the place name.
Is Peyton a boy's or a girl's name?
Both. It is among our detected gender flips, shifting toward female use in America from the 1990s.
How popular is the name Peyton?
In 2025, Peyton was given to 1,957 babies in the United States, ranking #199 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Peyton?
Peyton has 2 syllables.
When was Peyton most popular?
Peyton peaked in 2009, when 8,028 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Peyton a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Peyton currently ranks #155 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.