I was just noticing that the (traditionally male) name Peyton is currently ranked 131st for baby girls and 138th for baby boys. I can’t think of any other baby names with this sort of dual-gender appeal at the moment (not even Payton-with-an-A).
Here’s how Peyton has fared on both lists over the last decade:
- 1996 – 255th for girls, 335th for boys
- 1997 – 229th for girls, 254th for boys
- 1998 – 218th for girls, 221st for boys
- 1999 – 235th for girls, 234th for boys
- 2000 – 168th for girls, 183rd for boys
- 2001 – 174th for girls, 177th for boys
- 2002 – 188th for girls, 205th for boys
- 2003 – 191st for girls, 206th for boys
- 2004 – 134th for girls, 162nd for boys
- 2005 – 131st for girls, 138th for boys
So what’s the verdict: Girl name? Boy name? Both?
Updates:
- 2006 – 138th for girls, 156th for boys
- 2007 – 121st for girls, 125th for boys
- 2008 – 60th for girls, 130th for boys
- 2009 – 43rd for girls, 147th for boys
19 Comments
I think of Peyton as a boy name. I don’t care for the trend of using many names for either gender. But that’s just me. :)
Peyton is a girl name….please video.google.com “George Carlin baby names” If you name your little baby boy Peyton hope he grows up to be a big guy or is extremely fast as he is going to get beat up for a girly name like Peyton. Its like calling a guy Lindsey, Courtney, or something similar….
I think Peyton is soo a girls name! I totally agree with Brad on this one. I love the name for a girl and plan to use it with a different spelling. This is a favorite girls name so please stop giving it to poor little boys! Whimpy Whimpy name for a boy!
Wow people saying Peyton is a girl name all the way…I totally disagree. I have this name picked out for my baby if it’s a boy. To me Peyton sounds so masculine…a very strong name. Until today I never would have thought Peyton to be a famine name. I can’t believe how many boy names are becoming girl names these days. Peyton is actually a Surname, but it mostly went for boy names until people thought they should name little girls boy names. I really don’t see how people could think this is a girl name all the way. I have looked at a lot of baby naming websites and many of them list Peyton as a boy name, not even a unisex name. That’s my opinion, I suppose I could see a girl with this name now. Although I still think it’s better suited to a boy.
I totally think Peyton is a boys name, I agree with the top comment. It never was listed under any baby directories as a girls name… when did that start? I agree that it sounds masculine and is a great name for a boy! I am coming acoss the problem of some people (mostly 20 years older than me) telling me its a girls name, yet I have a lot of people (closer to my age) telling me its definately a boys name. I was wanting to use this for my baby boy, but am getting extremely annoyed with people telling me its a girls name! BOYS NAME ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!!
I think Peyton is TOTALLY a girl name i have it and i have never met a boy Peyton!!!
Peyton is the masculine form.
Payton is the feminine form.
people get this confused a lot since they are somewhat interchangeable.
its just like how Kendell is a boys name and Kendall is a girls.
“E” is generally more masculine than “A.”
and no, i didn’t get beat up in school Brad. i’m not even a muscular guy and boys still never bothered me.
Peyton is totally a BOYS name! I have always thought of it as a boys name and really didn’t hear parents using it for girls until after I named my little boy, Peyton Foster.
I am really annoyed with parents using true boys names for their girls…..it is as if they wished their little girl was a boy.
My son will be very tall due to his parents height so I am sure he will carry himself very well and will not be criticized for having such a unique awesome boy’s name!
Peyton is definitely more female. I named my daughter Peyton but would never think to have named my son it. It is moving up the popularity charts must faster on the female side than the male, probably because it sounds very pretty for a girl. Peyton Manning does make many people think of it as a boy’s name, but his popularity simply masks the fact that there are truly more girl Peytons than boys…and there have been for a long time!
Michele so agree with you on the whole girls being called boys names!
My son is Peyton Thomas Alexander (insert last name here)
He was named after Peyton Manning. The name Peyton means ‘fighting man’s estate, royal, is a variant of Patrick, from the warrior’s village’ not very girly meanings.
It is only rising in popularity for girls because stupid parents think it’s ‘cool’ to give their daughter’s what were originally and tradtionally BOY’S names.
ie
Hunter
Jordan
Cooper
Hayden
Jayden
Quinn
Cameron
Parker
Ashton
There are thousands of girls names out there – go pick one of those instead of using a boys names. You don’t see boys called Lily or Jessica
@Megan – Peyton was originally a place name meaning “Paega’s settlement.” Paega has no known derivation.
look it goes either way im named peyton and im a girl and i was born right whhen peyton manning was big and my family well we rare huge tennessee fans and my dad named me peyton. i love it for a boy or girl
oh and megan my parents arent stupid. it totally goes either way my dad didnt think it was cute he just liked it. my parents have 6 kids and werent expected and if you think about most girls named peyton were born right when peyton manning was getting big
Yeah Megan, you need to come down off your high horse. i just had a baby girl and her name is Payten. I heard of more girls than boys with this name. Actually it was Rebecca De Mornay’s characters name (spelled Peyton) in The Hand That Rocks The Cradle that came out in 1992. That’s where i got the name from.
I totally think Peyton is a guys name…I am married to a Peyton. It is masculine, like Peyton Manning. Payton is a girls name. End of story. =)
So I am a Peyton and a man! Yeah keep the Peyton name alive for the MEN out there. Grill a steak and eat meat all day! ARRRRGGGHHHH
It’s interesting that two people (Peyton and Laura) have claimed that Payton is the feminine form and Peyton is the masculine form.
Payton and Peyton are surnames–no gender attached to either, in terms of tradition/history.
And usage-wise, the numbers don’t back up the claim. Both forms are being used more often for girls right now.
I wonder how they would respond to that.
This is my response to Nancy…
I understand that there is no gender association with either version, but due to a long lasting history of the name in my family that was actually brought over from England 80 years after the Mayflower arrived, Peyton and Payton has been very gender specific in the Blue Mountains in the Tennessee and North Carolina region where my family has been from. I have many examples throughout my family lineage where men and women have been named this for the past 150 years based on the gender specific Pe or Pa. I understand the ever changing nature of the name and from a REAL PEYTON, its cool to see more out there.
I like the debate. Keep Peyton For Da Boys! ARRRRRGGGGHHHHHH
Two thumbs up for your pirate-like enthusiasm! :)
And thank you for the explanation. I was unaware of that bit of regional history.
Makes me really curious to know how many other people would agree that Payton and Peyton are gender-specific. (And if those people are concentrated in the Blue Ridge region.)