Draydon
A masculine name derived from Old English meaning "valley settlement".
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the first name Draydon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Draydon today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Draydon births was 2010 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Draydon. 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.
People living today
127
~ 1 in 2,698,853 Americans
Peak year
2010
13 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,185
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Draydon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Draydon from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 72 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Draydon remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Draydon 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 Draydon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Draydon
The name Draydon has its origins in Old English, dating back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from the combination of two words, "dray" meaning "to draw or haul" and "don" which means "hill." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who lived or worked on hilltops, hauling goods or materials.
During the Anglo-Saxon period, the name was often spelled as "Draedun" or "Draedon." It was a relatively uncommon name, primarily found in the regions of present-day England and parts of Scotland. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086.
In the 12th century, a monk named Draydon of Canterbury gained recognition for his scholarly works on theology and philosophy. He was born in 1118 and lived until 1197, leaving behind a significant literary legacy.
Another notable figure bearing the name Draydon was Sir Draydon Fitzwilliam, a knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War in the 14th century. He was born in 1315 and died in battle in 1372.
During the Renaissance period, a playwright named Draydon Marlowe was celebrated for his contributions to the English theatre. Born in 1564, he wrote several plays that were performed in London's famous Globe Theatre before his untimely death in 1593.
In the 18th century, Draydon Winslow was a renowned explorer and naturalist who traveled extensively throughout the Americas. He documented numerous plant and animal species, and his detailed journals were published posthumously in 1795, several years after his death in 1789.
The name Draydon also appears in various literary works, including the epic poem "Beowulf," where it is mentioned as the name of a minor character. Additionally, some scholars believe that the name may have been referenced in ancient Celtic texts, although concrete evidence is lacking.
While the name Draydon fell out of widespread use in more recent centuries, it has maintained a unique historical significance, reflecting the diverse cultural influences that have shaped the English language and its naming traditions over the centuries.
People
Draydon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Draydon as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Draydon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Draydon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 127 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Draydon 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 2,698,853 US residents.
Is Draydon a common name?
We classify Draydon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 128 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Draydon most popular?
The single biggest year for Draydon was 2010, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Draydon is about 13 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 Draydon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Draydon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Draydon 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 Draydon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Draydon 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 Draydon 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 Draydon?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Draydon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.