Drayten
A masculine name of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of Drayton.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Drayten. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Drayten today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Drayten births was 2006 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Drayten. 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 Drayten. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2006
6 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2006 SSA rank
#11,029
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Drayten: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Drayten 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 Drayten during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Drayten
The name Drayten is a unique and intriguing one, with a rich history that spans across various cultures and time periods. Its origins can be traced back to the ancient Germanic tribes of northern Europe, where it was derived from the Old Germanic word "drahten," meaning "to draw" or "to pull."
In the early medieval period, the name Drayten was popularized among the Anglo-Saxon communities of Britain. It was often bestowed upon those who possessed strength and fortitude, as it was believed to symbolize the ability to overcome adversity and "draw" oneself out of difficult situations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Drayten can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a historical record of the Anglo-Saxon kings and their reigns. Here, it is mentioned as the name of a nobleman who served under King Ethelred the Unready in the late 10th century.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Drayten gained prominence across Europe, particularly in regions with strong Germanic influences. It appeared in various medieval texts and chronicles, such as the Nibelungenlied, an epic poem from the 13th century that celebrated the exploits of legendary heroes.
During the Renaissance period, the name Drayten took on a more artistic and scholarly connotation. One notable figure bearing this name was Drayten Holbein (1497-1543), a renowned German artist and printmaker who is best known for his intricate portraits of the Tudor court in England.
In the 17th century, the name Drayten was carried across the Atlantic by English settlers, who brought their cultural traditions and naming conventions to the New World. One such individual was Drayten Standish (1620-1655), a military officer and colonial leader who played a crucial role in the early settlement of Massachusetts.
As the centuries passed, the name Drayten continued to be passed down through generations, though it remained relatively uncommon. One notable bearer of the name in more recent times was Drayten Winfield Scott (1786-1866), an American military leader and politician who served as a general during the Mexican-American War and later as the Whig Party's presidential nominee in 1852.
Other notable figures with the name Drayten include Drayten Parke Custis (1781-1857), a Virginia planter and stepson of George Washington, and Drayten Malin (1823-1892), a Swedish-American author and journalist who wrote extensively about life in the American Midwest.
People
Drayten + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Drayten 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
Drayten: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Drayten?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Drayten 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Drayten a common name?
We classify Drayten as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Drayten most popular?
The single biggest year for Drayten was 2006, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Drayten is about 20 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 Drayten in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Drayten a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Drayten 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 Drayten still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Drayten 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 Drayten 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 Drayten?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Drayten on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.