Paighton
A feminine name derived from the name Peyton, diminutive of Pey, from an Old French surname.
Name Census estimates that about 368 living Americans carry the first name Paighton. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Paighton today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Paighton births was 2016 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Paighton. 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
368
~ 1 in 931,398 Americans
Peak year
2016
26 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2021 SSA rank
#10,915
Tracked since 1996
Popularity
Paighton: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Paighton 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 162 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Paighton 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 Paighton during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Paightons live
Origin
Meaning and history of Paighton
The given name Paighton is a relatively modern invention, with no clear origins or established meaning from ancient languages or cultures. It appears to be a variant spelling of the English name Peyton, which itself is a locational surname derived from the Old English words "pea" (a hill or high ground) and "tun" (an enclosure or settlement).
While the name Peyton has a long history, dating back to the 11th century in England, the spelling Paighton is much more recent. It likely emerged in the late 20th century as a creative or intentional misspelling, perhaps to give the name a more distinctive or feminine quality. There are no known historical references or famous individuals specifically named Paighton in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Paighton can be found in the United States in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when it began to appear as a first name for newborn girls. However, it remains a relatively uncommon name, with no widely recognized famous bearers throughout history.
Some individuals who have been given the first name Paighton in more recent times include Paighton Laine, an American singer and songwriter born in 1996; Paighton Masterson, an American actress and model born in 1998; and Paighton Houston, an American professional basketball player born in 1999. While these individuals have achieved some level of recognition in their respective fields, they are not widely known historical figures.
It is worth noting that the name Paighton, like many modern name creations, does not have a rich historical lineage or deep cultural significance. Its popularity and usage have largely been driven by contemporary naming trends and personal preferences rather than established traditions or historical references.
People
Paighton + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Paighton as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Paighton: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Paighton?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 368 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Paighton 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 931,398 US residents.
Is Paighton a common name?
We classify Paighton as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 373 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Paighton most popular?
The single biggest year for Paighton was 2016, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Paighton is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Paighton a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Paighton 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.