How to say it
PEY · ton
ˈpeɪ.tən
Unisex
Peyton
Pæga's town
What it means
Old English place name, 'Pæga's settlement' (Pæga being a personal name). Originally a surname; Peyton Place (the 1956 Grace Metalious novel) and Peyton Manning the NFL quarterback are the dominant English-language anchors.
Peyton is an English place name from Old English, 'Pæga's town' (Pæga being a Saxon personal name). The surname has been common in England since the medieval period. Grace Metalious's Peyton Place (1956), a scandalous novel about small-town secrets that became a cultural touchstone (and a TV series, 1964-1969), gave the name decisive English-language anchor for women of a certain age. Peyton Manning (the NFL quarterback, two-time Super Bowl winner) is the modern masculine anchor; his name is reportedly a family-tradition Peyton, not the novel. The first-name use went unisex in the 1990s and split: predominantly feminine in early years, now used for both. It's been in the US top 100 since 2002.
How to spell Peyton
The standard spelling is Peyton. Common variants include Payton, Peyten, but Peyton is the most widely used form.
Popularity over time
Feminine: peaked at #42 in 2009, currently #199 in 2025.
Masculine: peaked at #125 in 2007, currently #684 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–2025. Reviewed July 2026. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pop culture
Peyton Place (Metalious's 1956 novel) and Peyton Manning the NFL quarterback are the two strongest English-language anchors.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Peyton Manning NFL quarterback, two-time Super Bowl champion
- Peyton Place Grace Metalious's 1956 scandalous novel, then 1964-1969 TV series
Spelling variants
- Payton
- Peyten
Names with the same feeling
See Peyton from another angle
By meaning
By style
Common questions
- What does the name Peyton mean?
- Old English place name, 'Pæga's settlement' (Pæga being a personal name). Originally a surname; Peyton Place (the 1956 Grace Metalious novel) and Peyton Manning the NFL quarterback are the dominant English-language anchors.
- What does Peyton mean in Old English?
- In Old English, Peyton means "Pæga's town." Peyton is an English place name from Old English, 'Pæga's town' (Pæga being a Saxon personal name). The surname has been common in England since the medieval period. Grace Metalious's Peyton Place (1956), a scandalous novel about small-town secrets that became a cultural touchstone (and a TV series, 1964-1969), gave the name decisive English-language anchor for women of a certain age. Peyton Manning (the NFL quarterback, two-time Super Bowl winner) is the modern masculine anchor; his name is reportedly a family-tradition Peyton, not the novel. The first-name use went unisex in the 1990s and split: predominantly feminine in early years, now used for both. It's been in the US top 100 since 2002.
- How do you pronounce Peyton?
- Peyton is pronounced ˈpeɪ.tən. Say it as PEY-ton, with the stress on the "pey" syllable.
- How do you spell Peyton?
- The standard spelling is Peyton. Common spelling variants include Payton, Peyten.
- Is Peyton a boy or girl name?
- Peyton is used for both boys and girls.
- How popular is the name Peyton?
- Peyton ranked #199 in the U.S. in 2025, according to Social Security Administration data.