Drayson
Son of the dragoner or a man who trained dragons.
Name Census estimates that about 543 living Americans carry the first name Drayson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Drayson today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Drayson births was 2012 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Drayson. 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
543
~ 1 in 631,223 Americans
Peak year
2012
36 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,446
Tracked since 1990
Popularity
Drayson: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Drayson from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 285 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Drayson remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Drayson 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 Drayson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Draysons live
Origin
Meaning and history of Drayson
The name Drayson is believed to have its origins in the English language. It is likely a variant of the surname Drayson, which itself is derived from the Old English word "draeg," meaning "to draw or drag." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as a carter or drayman, transporting goods by cart or wagon.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Drayson can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Draisonus." This suggests that the name was already in use in England during the 11th century.
In the 13th century, a man named Drayson de Wickford is recorded as having lived in the village of Wickford, Essex, England. This provides evidence of the name's continued use during the Middle Ages.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure bearing the name Drayson was Sir John Drayson (1535-1591), an English politician and Member of Parliament for the borough of Thetford, Norfolk.
In the 18th century, Drayson Bamford (1724-1786) was a prominent English artist known for his landscapes and portraits. His works can be found in several prestigious collections, including the Tate Gallery in London.
Moving into the 19th century, Drayson Belcher (1818-1892) was a British naval officer and explorer who conducted extensive surveys of the Arctic regions and made significant contributions to the field of cartography.
Another notable figure from this time period was Drayson Garrett (1845-1920), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Garrett Corporation, a successful engineering and manufacturing company.
In the 20th century, Drayson Bowman (1910-1995) was a British author and historian who wrote extensively about the history of the English countryside and rural life. His works, such as "The Lore of the Land" and "The Book of the English Countryside," are widely regarded as valuable resources for understanding the cultural heritage of England.
These examples illustrate the long-standing presence of the name Drayson throughout history, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields, including politics, art, exploration, business, and literature.
People
Drayson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Drayson 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
Drayson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Drayson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 543 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Drayson 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 631,223 US residents.
Is Drayson a common name?
We classify Drayson as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 548 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Drayson most popular?
The single biggest year for Drayson was 2012, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Drayson is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Drayson a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Drayson 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.
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.