boys' name ★ peaked 2023

Waylen

Gender Boy · 2% girls Rank 2025 #849 Trend ↑ Rising 205%
Rank 2025
#849
among boys · ↓52 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
289
named Waylen · -11% vs 2024
How common
1 in 5,910
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2023
411 babies
All-time total
2,615
#2,833 all-time among boys
First recorded
1947
in Social Security records

Waylen popularity over time

2,615 babies have been named Waylen since 1947, 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
0.060.130.190.2518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – 5 5 1 – #4,247
1950s – 5 5 1 0% #4,443
1960s – 12 12 1 +140% #3,927
1970s – 32 32 3 +167% #5,568
1980s – 17 17 2 -47% #5,507
1990s – 40 40 4 +135% #6,021
2000s – 192 192 19 +380% #3,377
2010s 16 710 726 73 +278% #1,276
2020s (to 2025) 47 1,539 1,586 264 +264% #678

Where Waylen 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 345 0.20 outside top 500
2027 401 0.23 outside top 500
2028 455 0.27 outside top 500
2029 507 0.30 outside top 500
2030 556 0.33 outside top 500

Where Waylen is most popular

Boys named Waylen per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.165 per 1,000. Strongest in South Dakota, Idaho, and Kentucky.

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 Waylen 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
South Dakota 10 0.537 +225%
Idaho 18 0.440 +166%
Kentucky 41 0.409 +147%
West Virginia 13 0.398 +141%
Oklahoma 35 0.396 +139%
Arkansas 24 0.379 +129%
Missouri 49 0.354 +114%
Indiana 56 0.349 +111%
Tennessee 63 0.349 +111%
Ohio 88 0.332 +101%
Alabama 35 0.320 +94%
North Carolina 81 0.317 +92%
Montana 5 0.284 +71%
Georgia 71 0.280 +69%
New Hampshire 6 0.270 +63%
Wisconsin 32 0.270 +63%
Michigan 51 0.249 +51%
Minnesota 30 0.245 +48%
Mississippi 13 0.229 +38%
Oregon 17 0.224 +35%
Pennsylvania 57 0.215 +30%
Louisiana 18 0.176 +6%
Washington 27 0.165 ≈ national
Iowa 11 0.160 ≈ national
Florida 73 0.154 -7%
Virginia 29 0.153 -8%
South Carolina 14 0.135 -18%
Illinois 33 0.129 -22%
Utah 11 0.115 -30%
Texas 72 0.082 -51%
Kansas 5 0.073 -56%
Massachusetts 10 0.073 -56%
California 63 0.069 -58%
New York 28 0.065 -61%
Colorado 8 0.062 -63%
Maryland 7 0.059 -65%
Arizona 6 0.037 -78%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

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 Waylen

Waylen is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #849 in 2025 with 289 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1947, 2,615 American babies have been named Waylen. Its peak came in 2023, when 411 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 Waylen stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Waylen?

The median living Waylen is about 3 years old; half are between 2 and 9. An estimated 2,600 people named Waylen are alive in the United States today.

median 3 020406080100

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

Waylen 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 – – 289 #849
2024 7 #13,393 316 #797
2023 8 #12,125 403 #678
2022 16 #7,265 263 #894
2021 9 #11,102 158 #1,224
2020 7 #13,391 110 #1,526
2019 10 #10,439 147 #1,276
2018 – – 85 #1,807
2017 6 #15,796 87 #1,777
2016 – – 68 #2,084
2015 – – 61 #2,230
2014 – – 67 #2,095
2013 – – 53 #2,398
2012 – – 53 #2,412
2011 – – 60 #2,200
2010 – – 29 #3,705
2009 – – 28 #3,824
2008 – – 24 #4,260
2007 – – 33 #3,377
2006 – – 24 #4,096
2005 – – 27 #3,607
2004 – – 10 #7,508
2003 – – 15 #5,252
2002 – – 12 #6,070
2001 – – 11 #6,426
2000 – – 8 #8,173
1995 – – 6 #8,828
1990 – – – –
1985 – – 5 #7,550
1980 – – 7 #5,507
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – 5 #4,416
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Waylen?

The median living Waylen is about 3 years old. Half of all living Waylens are between 2 and 9 years old.

How many people named Waylen are alive today?

An estimated 2,600 people named Waylen are alive in the United States, based on 2,615 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Waylen in 2025?

Waylen ranked #849 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 289 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Waylen?

2,615 babies have been named Waylen in the United States since 1947, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Waylen most popular?

Waylen peaked in 2023, when 411 newborns received the name.

Is Waylen a boy or girl name?

Waylen is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Waylen rising or falling?

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

Will Waylen become more popular?

Waylen is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 556 boys named Waylen in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Waylen

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

Compare Waylen with similar names → More names starting with W →