Peyson
Son of the pilgrim or traveler; of English origin.
Name Census estimates that about 250 living Americans carry the first name Peyson. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 50.4% of registrations being female. The average person named Peyson today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Peyson births was 2012 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Peyson. 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
250
~ 1 in 1,371,017 Americans
Peak year
2012
35 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,124
Tracked since 2008
Gender
Gender distribution for Peyson
Peyson is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 252 total registrations, 125 (49.6%) were male and 127 (50.4%) were female.
Peyson as a male name
- Ranked #13,653 in 2023
- 5 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2012 (16 births)
Peyson as a female name
- Ranked #13,124 in 2023
- 7 female births in 2023
- Peak: 2011 (19 births)
Popularity
Peyson: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Peyson from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 206 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
Peyson 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 Peyson 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 Peyson
The name Peyson is a relatively modern name that originated in the late 20th century. It is derived from the Old English word "pay," which means "to pay or compensate." The name itself does not have any direct historical references or connections to ancient texts or religious scriptures.
While the name Peyson may be considered a modern invention, there are a few historical figures who share a similar spelling or variation of the name. One notable example is Payson, a surname that can be traced back to the 17th century in England. Edward Payson (1783-1827) was an American Congregational minister and influential preacher from Portland, Maine.
Another historical figure with a similar name is Paysant, a French surname dating back to the Middle Ages. Jean Paysant (1510-1564) was a French lawyer and jurist who served as the Chancellor of France during the reign of King Charles IX.
In the 19th century, there was a notable American figure named Payson Perrin (1819-1898), who was a lawyer and politician from New York. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1875 to 1877.
Moving into the 20th century, there was a American author and historian named Payson Terhune (1876-1942), who was best known for his novels and short stories featuring collies and other dog breeds.
Finally, a more recent figure with a similar name is Payson Keelers (born 1950), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the investment firm Keelers & Co.
While the name Peyson itself may not have a rich historical lineage, it shares similarities with other names and surnames that have been documented throughout various periods and cultures. The name's modern origin and unique spelling make it a distinctive choice in the present day.
People
Peyson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Peyson 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
Peyson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Peyson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 250 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Peyson 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 1,371,017 US residents.
Is Peyson a common name?
We classify Peyson as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 252 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Peyson most popular?
The single biggest year for Peyson was 2012, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Peyson is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Peyson a female name?
Yes, 50.4% of people registered as Peyson 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.