Unisex name ★ peaked 2021

Layne

Meaning Topographic surname from lane Gender Unisex · 28% girls Rank 2025 #662 Trend ↑ Rising 13%

Topographic surname from lane.

Rank 2025
#662
among boys · ↑34 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
570
named Layne
How common
1 in 4,126
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2021
767 babies
All-time total
20,034
#996 all-time among boys
First recorded
1918
in Social Security records

Layne popularity over time

20,034 babies have been named Layne since 1918, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.080.150.230.318801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 7 7 1 – #3,551
1920s – 35 35 4 +400% #3,949
1930s 6 94 100 10 +186% #1,683
1940s 95 233 328 33 +228% #1,208
1950s 267 882 1,149 115 +250% #564
1960s 178 1,025 1,203 120 +5% #637
1970s 182 548 730 73 -39% #896
1980s 501 532 1,033 103 +42% #1,209
1990s 881 1,554 2,435 244 +136% #693
2000s 1,038 3,109 4,147 415 +70% #619
2010s 1,024 3,869 4,893 489 +18% #583
2020s (to 2025) 1,507 2,467 3,974 662 +35% #637

Where Layne is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 423 0.25 outside top 500
2027 431 0.25 outside top 500
2028 438 0.26 outside top 500
2029 443 0.26 outside top 500
2030 448 0.26 outside top 500

Where Layne is most popular

Boys named Layne per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.240 per 1,000. Strongest in West Virginia, Idaho, and Wyoming.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Layne born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
West Virginia 48 1.47 +513%
Idaho 42 1.03 +328%
Wyoming 5 0.864 +261%
Kentucky 70 0.698 +191%
Iowa 48 0.696 +190%
Ohio 154 0.581 +142%
Missouri 77 0.556 +132%
Minnesota 61 0.497 +107%
Indiana 77 0.480 +100%
Louisiana 49 0.479 +100%
Oregon 34 0.448 +87%
Oklahoma 38 0.430 +79%
Washington 67 0.410 +71%
Wisconsin 46 0.388 +62%
Tennessee 70 0.388 +62%
Pennsylvania 94 0.354 +48%
Virginia 58 0.306 +28%
Michigan 59 0.288 +20%
Montana 5 0.284 +18%
Maine 5 0.258 +8%
Arkansas 16 0.253 +5%
Utah 24 0.251 +5%
North Carolina 60 0.235 ≈ national
South Carolina 24 0.232 ≈ national
New Hampshire 5 0.225 -6%
Georgia 51 0.201 -16%
Texas 170 0.193 -19%
Florida 90 0.190 -21%
Maryland 22 0.184 -23%
Illinois 46 0.180 -25%
Arizona 27 0.165 -31%
Alabama 18 0.165 -31%
New York 65 0.150 -37%
Massachusetts 16 0.116 -51%
Nebraska 5 0.115 -52%
Nevada 6 0.105 -56%
Kansas 7 0.102 -57%
California 70 0.077 -68%
New Jersey 11 0.055 -77%
Colorado 5 0.039 -84%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Mississippi – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Layne

Layne is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #662 in 2025 with 414 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1918, 20,034 American babies have been named Layne, about 72% boys and 28% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2021, when 767 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Layne stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Layne?

The median living Layne is about 17 years old; half are between 7 and 30. An estimated 19 thousand people named Layne are alive in the United States today.

median 17 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Layne year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 156 #1,402 414 #662
2024 182 #1,275 389 #696
2023 265 #975 423 #648
2022 293 #923 410 #667
2021 333 #830 434 #637
2020 278 #931 397 #663
2019 241 #1,059 377 #680
2018 83 #2,232 350 #693
2017 91 #2,123 354 #696
2016 74 #2,470 340 #721
2015 91 #2,119 350 #711
2014 92 #2,108 419 #628
2013 95 #2,044 405 #615
2012 80 #2,350 432 #591
2011 85 #2,232 431 #583
2010 92 #2,146 411 #606
2009 113 #1,871 378 #656
2008 79 #2,431 395 #625
2007 76 #2,473 360 #668
2006 122 #1,716 320 #694
2005 104 #1,869 325 #661
2004 109 #1,766 320 #646
2003 120 #1,609 335 #619
2002 109 #1,689 263 #692
2001 111 #1,643 200 #823
2000 95 #1,823 213 #779
1995 72 #1,934 221 #717
1990 68 #2,003 69 #1,344
1985 46 #2,241 46 #1,463
1980 21 #3,782 51 #1,322
1975 13 #4,737 54 #1,156
1970 22 #3,072 81 #896
1965 15 #3,343 85 #807
1960 25 #2,405 150 #637
1955 22 #2,375 76 #845
1950 26 #1,887 52 #967
1945 13 #2,538 21 #1,474
1940 – – 24 #1,385
1935 – – 5 #3,936
1930 – – 9 #2,901
1925 – – 6 #3,983
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Layne, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Layne?

The median living Layne is about 17 years old. Half of all living Laynes are between 7 and 30 years old.

How many people named Layne are alive today?

An estimated 19 thousand people named Layne are alive in the United States, based on 20,034 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Layne mean?

Topographic surname from lane.

How popular is the name Layne in 2025?

Layne ranked #662 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 414 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Layne?

20,034 babies have been named Layne in the United States since 1918, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Layne most popular?

Layne peaked in 2021, when 767 newborns received the name.

Is Layne a boy or girl name?

Layne is used for both: about 28% of babies named Layne have been girls and 72% boys.

Is the name Layne rising or falling?

Layne is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Layne become more popular?

Layne is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 448 boys named Layne in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Layne

Names that sound and feel close to Layne: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Layne with similar names → More names starting with L →