Peyton
Meaning of Peyton
Peyton began as an English surname, taken from a place name meaning Pæga's town or settlement. Pæga was an Old English personal name whose meaning is not known. Peyton is pronounced PAY-tun and is used for both boys and girls.
Its best-known bearers include Peyton Randolph, the Virginia statesman who was the first president of the Continental Congress, and Peyton Manning, the quarterback who won Super Bowls with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos. On television, Peyton Sawyer was one of the main characters of One Tree Hill.
Peyton was a rare name in the U.S. until the early 1990s, when it jumped from 2,034th place in 1991 to 584th in 1992. It went on to peak at No. 42 in 2009 and has since declined. In 2025 it ranked 199th, with 1,559 babies given the name.
Pronunciation
American English
- Pronunced as PAY-tun (/ˈpeɪtən/)
British English
- Pronunced as PAY-tun (/ˈpeɪtn̩/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Peyton
| Peyton Manning is an American former NFL quarterback, a Tennessee star and member of the Manning football family, who led the Colts and Broncos and is widely regarded as one of the greatest. |
| Peyton Roi List is an American actress and former child model best known for playing Holly Hills in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid films and Emma Ross on the Disney Channel series Jessie and Bunkd. |
| Kenneth Peyton Barber is an American former running back who played at Auburn, signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2016, and later played for the Washington Football Team and Las Vegas Raiders. |
| Peyton Randolph, a Founding Father from a prominent Virginia family, was speaker of the House of Burgesses and president of the First Continental Congress, briefly leading the Second Continental Congress. |
| Peyton Elizabeth Lee is an American actress best known for Disney roles in Andi Mack, Secret Society of Second Born Royals, and Doogie Kamealoha MD. |
| Peyton Krebs is a Canadian center for the Buffalo Sabres who was drafted 17th overall by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2019 and made his NHL debut with Vegas in 2021. |
| Peyton Meyer is an American actor best known as Lucas Friar on Girl Meets World, and he also had a recurring role on Dog with a Blog, starred in the 2021 Netflix film He's All That, and appeared on Days of Our Lives from 2024 to 2025. |
| Peyton Ramsey is an American former quarterback who played college football for the Indiana Hoosiers and Northwestern Wildcats. |
| Peyton Kennedy is a Canadian actor known for Greys Anatomy, Everything Sucks, Odd Squad, and films like The Captive, American Fable, and Lavender. |
| Peyton Randolph was a Virginia Democratic Republican who briefly served as acting governor in late 1811 and early 1812. |
| Peyton Alex Smith is an American actor known for playing Damon Sims in All American Homecoming, Rafael Waithe in Legacies, and Cedric Hobbs in The Quad. |
