Bayou
A French word referring to a marshy inlet or sluggish outflow.
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Bayou. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bayou today is around 2 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bayou births was 2024 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bayou. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bayou. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
2024
9 babies that year
Average age
2
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,366
Tracked since 2023
Popularity
Bayou: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Bayou by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Bayou during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 14 | 0 | 14 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Bayou
The given name Bayou has its origins in the French language, specifically the Louisiana French dialect. It is a loanword derived from the Choctaw Native American language, where it refers to a slow-moving, marshy body of water or a creek-like stream.
The name gained prominence in the 18th and 19th centuries when French settlers and explorers in the region of Louisiana encountered and adopted the term. It became associated with the bayou landscapes and waterways that characterize the geography of Louisiana and the American South.
While the name is not found in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been documented in historical records and literature related to the exploration and settlement of the Louisiana Territory. Some of the earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in travel journals and accounts from the late 18th century.
One notable individual with the name Bayou was Bayou Pierre, a Choctaw leader and chief who played a significant role in the early relations between Native Americans and French settlers in the region during the late 18th century.
Another historical figure with this name was Bayou Bouche, a Creole trader and explorer who operated in the Mississippi River Delta area in the early 19th century. He was known for his extensive knowledge of the bayou waterways and his interactions with various Native American tribes.
In the world of literature, Bayou Lafourche was the name of a fictional character in the novel "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin, published in 1899. The character represented the unique cultural melting pot of Louisiana and the influence of the bayou environment on the region's inhabitants.
Bayou Teche was a prominent figure in the Cajun folklore and oral traditions of Louisiana. He was often portrayed as a mischievous trickster character who played pranks on unsuspecting travelers in the bayou regions.
Lastly, Bayou St. John was the name of a renowned Creole chef and restaurateur in New Orleans during the late 19th century. His establishment, located near the bayou of the same name, was famous for its authentic Creole cuisine and attracted both locals and visitors alike.
People
Bayou + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bayou as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bayou: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bayou?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bayou going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Bayou a common name?
We classify Bayou as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 14 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bayou most popular?
The single biggest year for Bayou was 2024, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bayou is about 2 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Bayou in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bayou a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bayou in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Bayou still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bayou in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Bayou can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Bayou?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.