Layni
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly from a combination of names.
Name Census estimates that about 499 living Americans carry the first name Layni. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Layni today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Layni births was 2022 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Layni. 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
499
~ 1 in 686,882 Americans
Peak year
2022
39 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,697
Tracked since 1994
Popularity
Layni: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Layni from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 181 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Layni remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Layni 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 Layni during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Laynis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Layni
The given name Layni is believed to have originated from the Old English language, with its roots dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, around the 5th to 11th centuries AD. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English word "lēah," which means a meadow or a clearing in a forest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Layni can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings and households in England, commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Leinne," which was likely a variation of the spelling at the time.
In the 12th century, Layni was mentioned in the chronicle "Gesta Regum Anglorum" (Deeds of the English Kings) by the medieval historian William of Malmesbury. The chronicle documented the life and reign of King Stephen of England, and it is believed that Layni was the name of one of the king's courtiers or noblemen.
During the Middle Ages, the name Layni gained popularity among the aristocracy and nobility in England. One notable figure who bore this name was Lady Layni de Beaumont, who lived in the 13th century and was a member of the influential Beaumont family.
In the 16th century, the name Layni was associated with the Protestant Reformation in England. Layni Cranmer (1489-1556) was the wife of Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury who played a significant role in the English Reformation and the establishment of the Church of England.
Another historical figure with the name Layni was Layni Hutchinson (1619-1650), a Protestant religious leader and one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America. She was a controversial figure known for her outspoken views on religious freedom and her criticism of the Puritan establishment in the colony.
People
Layni + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Layni 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
Layni: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Layni?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 499 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Layni 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 686,882 US residents.
Is Layni a common name?
We classify Layni as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 504 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Layni most popular?
The single biggest year for Layni was 2022, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Layni is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Layni a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Layni in the SSA data are female. 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.