boys' name ★ peaked 1947

Wayne

Meaning A male given name transferred from the surname Gender Boy Rank 2025 #655 Trend ↑ Rising 32%

A male given name transferred from the surname.

Rank 2025
#655
among boys · ↑31 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
422
named Wayne · +7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,048
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1947
10,202 babies
All-time total
356,422
#98 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Wayne popularity over time

356,422 babies have been named Wayne since 1880, 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
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 283 283 28 – #283
1890s – 509 509 51 +80% #214
1900s – 1,158 1,158 116 +128% #138
1910s 126 11,572 11,698 1,170 +910% #90
1920s 232 26,402 26,634 2,663 +128% #67
1930s 237 41,141 41,378 4,138 +55% #39
1940s 206 75,131 75,337 7,534 +82% #29
1950s 274 88,092 88,366 8,837 +17% #35
1960s 222 54,762 54,984 5,498 -38% #58
1970s 166 24,616 24,782 2,478 -55% #80
1980s 136 14,750 14,886 1,489 -40% #146
1990s 5 7,502 7,507 751 -50% #242
2000s – 3,719 3,719 372 -50% #506
2010s – 3,052 3,052 305 -18% #702
2020s (to 2025) – 2,129 2,129 355 +16% #655

Where Wayne 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 442 0.26 outside top 500
2027 460 0.27 outside top 500
2028 476 0.28 outside top 500
2029 490 0.29 outside top 500
2030 502 0.29 outside top 500

Where Wayne is most popular

Boys named Wayne per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.211 per 1,000. Strongest in Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah.

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 Wayne 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
Wyoming 12 2.07 +882%
Idaho 29 0.709 +236%
Utah 53 0.555 +163%
Oregon 41 0.540 +156%
Iowa 37 0.537 +154%
Alaska 5 0.420 +99%
Ohio 111 0.419 +98%
Indiana 59 0.368 +74%
Colorado 47 0.364 +72%
Missouri 50 0.361 +71%
Washington 59 0.361 +71%
Wisconsin 42 0.355 +68%
Minnesota 41 0.334 +58%
Michigan 68 0.332 +57%
Pennsylvania 85 0.320 +52%
Oklahoma 28 0.317 +50%
Nebraska 13 0.299 +42%
Montana 5 0.284 +34%
Kentucky 27 0.269 +27%
Nevada 13 0.228 +8%
Arizona 37 0.226 +7%
Florida 102 0.215 ≈ national
Virginia 40 0.211 ≈ national
Louisiana 21 0.205 ≈ national
Georgia 51 0.201 -5%
Illinois 50 0.196 -7%
Kansas 12 0.175 -17%
South Carolina 18 0.174 -18%
New York 70 0.162 -23%
Tennessee 29 0.161 -24%
Texas 136 0.154 -27%
California 135 0.148 -30%
North Carolina 35 0.137 -35%
New Jersey 26 0.129 -39%
Alabama 14 0.128 -39%
Maryland 11 0.092 -56%
Arkansas 5 0.079 -63%
Massachusetts 5 0.036 -83%
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –

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 Wayne

Wayne is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #655 in 2025 with 422 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 356,422 American babies have been named Wayne. Its peak came in 1947, when 10,202 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1940s.

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

How old are people named Wayne?

The median living Wayne is about 66 years old; half are between 55 and 75. An estimated 209 thousand people named Wayne are alive in the United States today.

median 66 020406080100

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

Wayne 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 – – 422 #655
2024 – – 396 #686
2023 – – 359 #734
2022 – – 329 #770
2021 – – 318 #779
2020 – – 305 #775
2019 – – 322 #745
2018 – – 299 #778
2017 – – 281 #810
2016 – – 330 #740
2015 – – 325 #744
2014 – – 292 #789
2013 – – 301 #756
2012 – – 291 #781
2011 – – 327 #702
2010 – – 284 #780
2009 – – 304 #754
2008 – – 344 #692
2007 – – 354 #675
2006 – – 358 #649
2005 – – 319 #667
2004 – – 364 #598
2003 – – 382 #580
2002 – – 420 #533
2001 – – 421 #527
2000 – – 453 #506
1995 – – 674 #358
1990 – – 1,148 #242
1985 14 #5,340 1,384 #184
1980 8 #8,156 1,843 #146
1975 13 #4,846 2,134 #120
1970 28 #2,644 4,006 #80
1965 20 #2,832 5,112 #65
1960 25 #2,431 7,193 #58
1955 28 #2,059 8,728 #44
1950 19 #2,338 9,259 #35
1945 12 #2,739 6,738 #35
1940 20 #1,843 5,727 #39
1935 22 #1,660 4,057 #49
1930 28 #1,498 2,981 #65
1925 21 #1,942 2,713 #74
1920 20 #2,012 2,180 #86
1915 16 #2,047 1,517 #97
1910 6 #2,392 228 #141
1905 – – 107 #178
1900 – – 85 #214
1895 – – 56 #236
1890 – – 45 #254
1885 – – 24 #362
1880 – – 23 #361

Famous people named Wayne

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Wayne Rooney Wayne Rooney English football player and manager (born 1985) Contemporary
  2. 2 Wayne Gretzky Wayne Gretzky Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1961) Contemporary
  3. 3 Wayne Knight Wayne Knight American actor (born 1955) Contemporary
  4. 4 Wayne Brady Wayne Brady American TV host and actor (born 1972) Contemporary
  5. 5 Wayne Newton Wayne Newton American singer and entertainer (born 1942) Contemporary
  6. 6 Wayne Rogers Wayne Rogers American actor (1933–2015) Contemporary
  7. 7 Wayne Bridge Wayne Bridge English footballer (born 1980) Contemporary
  8. 8 Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter American jazz saxophonist and composer (1933–2023) Contemporary
  9. 9 Wayne Dyer Wayne Dyer American writer (1940–2015) Contemporary
  10. 10 Wayne Allwine Wayne Allwine American voice actor and sound effects editor (1947–2009) Contemporary
  11. 11 Wayne Thiebaud Wayne Thiebaud American painter (1920–2021) Contemporary
  12. 12 Wayne Sermon Wayne Sermon American musician and songwriter (born 1984) Contemporary
  13. 13 Wayne Wang Wayne Wang Hong Kong–born American film director (born 1949) Contemporary
  14. 14 Wayne Routledge Wayne Routledge English footballer (born 1985) Contemporary
  15. 15 Wayne Rainey Wayne Rainey American motorcycle racer (born 1960) Contemporary
  16. 16 Wayne Ellington Wayne Ellington American basketball player (born 1987) Contemporary
  17. 17 Wayne Ferreira Wayne Ferreira South African tennis player b. 1971 · Contemporary
  18. 18 Wayne Black Zimbabwean tennis player b. 1973 · Contemporary
  19. 19 Wayne C. Booth Wayne C. Booth American academic (1921–2005) Contemporary
  20. 20 Wayne Allard Wayne Allard American politician (born 1943) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Wayne?

The median living Wayne is about 66 years old. Half of all living Waynes are between 55 and 75 years old.

How many people named Wayne are alive today?

An estimated 209 thousand people named Wayne are alive in the United States, based on 356,422 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Wayne mean?

A male given name transferred from the surname.

How popular is the name Wayne in 2025?

Wayne ranked #655 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 422 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Wayne?

356,422 babies have been named Wayne in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Wayne most popular?

Wayne peaked in 1947, when 10,202 newborns received the name.

Is Wayne a boy or girl name?

Wayne is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Wayne rising or falling?

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

Will Wayne become more popular?

Wayne is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 502 boys named Wayne in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Wayne?

Well-known people named Wayne include Wayne Rooney (soccer player), Wayne Gretzky (hockey player), Wayne Knight (actor).

Names like Wayne

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

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