Fayden
An invented name with uncertain etymology, likely derived from "fay" meaning fairy.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Fayden. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Fayden today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fayden births was 2023 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fayden. 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 Fayden. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2023
6 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,263
Tracked since 2016
Popularity
Fayden: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fayden from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fayden 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 Fayden 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 Fayden
The name Fayden is believed to have originated from the Old English language, which was spoken in parts of Britain from the 5th to the 11th centuries. It is derived from the combination of two Old English words, "fæder" meaning father, and "denu" meaning valley. Together, these words form the name Fayden, which can be interpreted as "the father's valley" or "the valley of the father."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fayden can be traced back to the 10th century, where it appears in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of a great survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. In the Domesday Book, the name is spelled as "Faidene," referring to a land holding or estate located in the county of Lincolnshire, England.
While the name Fayden does not have a direct association with any major historical figures or religious texts, its roots in Old English suggest a connection to the early Anglo-Saxon culture and traditions of Britain. The name's meaning, "the father's valley," may have held significance for families or clans who claimed ownership or stewardship over a particular valley or land area.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Fayden, though their impact on historical events may have been relatively minor. One such person was Fayden Willoughby (1550-1612), an English landowner and minor nobleman from Nottinghamshire. Another was Fayden Hawkins (1690-1763), a British naval officer who served during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War.
In the 19th century, there was a Fayden Cromwell (1810-1879), a farmer and businessman from New York State in the United States. Additionally, Fayden Hastings (1845-1921) was a Scottish-born journalist and author who worked for various publications in Canada and the United States.
More recently, Fayden Merrick (1920-2005) was a British artist and sculptor known for his abstract works and his involvement in the St Ives artist community in Cornwall, England.
While the name Fayden has not been widely popular in recent times, its historical roots and distinctive meaning have contributed to its enduring use as a given name, particularly in English-speaking countries with cultural ties to Britain and the Anglo-Saxon heritage.
People
Fayden + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fayden as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Fayden: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fayden?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fayden 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Fayden a common name?
We classify Fayden as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fayden most popular?
The single biggest year for Fayden was 2023, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fayden is about 6 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 Fayden in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Fayden a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fayden 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 Fayden still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Fayden 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 Fayden 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 many people have Fayden as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Fayden, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.