Payal: Name Popularity, History & Rankings (1880

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	Per year	Change	Best rank
1880s	–	–	–	–
1890s	–	–	–	–
1900s	–	–	–	–
1910s	–	–	–	–
1920s	–	–	–	–
1930s	–	–	–	–
1940s	–	–	–	–
1950s	–	–	–	–
1960s	–	–	–	–
1970s	59	6	–	#4,171
1980s	271	27	+359%	#2,704
1990s	244	24	-10%	#3,421
2000s	85	9	-65%	#5,637
2010s	15	2	-82%	#18,480
2020s (to 2025)	–	–	–	–

Decade

Girls

Per year

Change

Best rank

1880s

–

1890s

–

1900s

–

1910s

–

1920s

–

1930s

–

1940s

–

1950s

–

1960s

–

1970s

–

#4,171

1980s

271

+359%

#2,704

1990s

244

-10%

#3,421

2000s

-65%

#5,637

2010s

-82%

#18,480

2020s (to 2025)

–

The story of Payal

Payal is not currently in use for newborns in the United States: fewer than five babies received the name in 2025. Its story lives in the historical record below.

Since 1975, 674 American babies have been named Payal. Its peak came in 1981, when 34 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

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 Payal stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Payal?

The median living Payal is about 35 years old; half are between 28 and 42. An estimated 700 people named Payal are alive in the United States today.

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

Payal year by year

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

Year	Girls	Girls rank
2025	–	–
2024	–	–
2023	–	–
2022	–	–
2021	–	–
2020	–	–
2019	–	–
2018	–	–
2017	–	–
2016	–	–
2015	5	#18,480
2014	–	–
2013	5	#18,612
2012	5	#18,879
2011	–	–
2010	–	–
2009	–	–
2008	–	–
2007	6	#17,089
2006	7	#14,746
2005	–	–
2004	8	#12,455
2003	14	#7,894
2002	16	#6,963
2001	14	#7,637
2000	20	#5,637
1995	28	#3,854
1990	26	#3,977
1985	24	#3,594
1980	19	#4,102
1975	10	#5,850
1970	–	–
1965	–	–
1960	–	–
1955	–	–
1950	–	–
1945	–	–
1940	–	–
1935	–	–
1930	–	–
1925	–	–
1920	–	–
1915	–	–
1910	–	–
1905	–	–
1900	–	–
1895	–	–
1890	–	–
1885	–	–
1880	–	–

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Payal?

The median living Payal is about 35 years old. Half of all living Payals are between 28 and 42 years old.

How many people named Payal are alive today?

An estimated 700 people named Payal are alive in the United States, based on 674 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Payal mean?

Borrowed from Sanskrit पायल (pāyala).

How popular is the name Payal in 2025?

Payal did not appear in the 2025 Social Security data, which means fewer than five babies received the name that year.

How many people are named Payal?

674 babies have been named Payal in the United States since 1975, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Payal most popular?

Payal peaked in 1981, when 34 newborns received the name.

Is Payal a boy or girl name?

Payal is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Payal rising or falling?

Payal is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Payal

Payal popularity over time

The story of Payal

How old are people named Payal?

Payal year by year

Frequently asked questions

Names like Payal