Layne
A masculine English name, possibly a variant of the surname Laine.
Name Census estimates that about 18,419 living Americans carry the first name Layne. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 71.6% of registrations being male. The average person named Layne today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Layne births was 2021 (765 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Layne. 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
18K
~ 1 in 18,609 Americans
Peak year
2021
765 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#695
Tracked since 1918
Gender
Gender distribution for Layne
Layne is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 19,457 total registrations, 13,935 (71.6%) were male and 5,522 (28.4%) were female.
Layne as a male name
- Ranked #695 in 2024
- 387 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2012 (432 births)
Layne as a female name
- Ranked #1,274 in 2024
- 182 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (333 births)
Popularity
Layne: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Layne from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 4,892 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Layne remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Layne 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 Layne during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Laynes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 43 states and territories. Texas, Ohio, California recorded the most babies named Layne, while Maine, Connecticut, Nevada recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 292 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Layne
The name Layne is believed to have originated from the Old English word "lanu," which means "lane" or "path." It is a gender-neutral name that has been used for both boys and girls throughout history.
In its earliest recorded use, the name Layne was a surname derived from people who lived near a lane or path. The first recorded instance of the name as a given name dates back to the 13th century in England.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Layne was Sir John de la Layne, a knight who lived in Gloucestershire, England, in the late 13th century. He was documented in several historical records and charters of the time.
Another notable figure was Layne Longstaffe, an English composer and organist who lived from 1568 to 1628. He was known for his contributions to church music and served as the organist at the Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire.
In the 17th century, Layne Wilkins, an English philosopher and theologian, gained recognition for his work on natural religion and the existence of God. He was born in 1616 and died in 1690.
During the 18th century, Layne Humphries was an influential figure in the American Revolutionary War. He was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and actively supported the cause of independence. Humphries was born in 1742 and passed away in 1810.
In more recent times, Layne Staley was a renowned American singer and musician who fronted the rock band Alice in Chains. He was born in 1967 and tragically passed away in 2002 due to a drug overdose. Staley's powerful vocals and songwriting abilities made him a iconic figure in the grunge music scene of the 1990s.
While the name Layne has seen periods of popularity and decline over the centuries, it has maintained a unique and enduring presence, carrying with it a rich history and cultural significance.
People
Layne + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Layne as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Layne: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Layne?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 18,419 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Layne 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 18,609 US residents.
Is Layne a common name?
We classify Layne as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 19,457 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Layne most popular?
The single biggest year for Layne was 2021, when 765 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Layne is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Layne a male name?
Yes, 71.6% of people registered as Layne 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.