Waylen
Boy name · #848 in 2025 · Rare
Waylen ranks #848 among American boys' names as of 2025, with 289 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #2212, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 6,228 boys born in 2025 was named Waylen.
Babies named Waylen per year. Source: SSA.
The 78-year story
Waylen first appears in the Social Security records in 1947, when 5 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2023, with 403 babies and a rank of #676. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Waylen against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Waylen in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Waylen is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Waylen will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Waylen is most common
Geography matters for names, and Waylen is no exception. Adjusted for how many boys are born in each state, Waylen is most common in MO (0.4 per 1,000), OH (0.4 per 1,000), IN (0.4 per 1,000), TN (0.3 per 1,000), MI (0.3 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.2 per 1,000 boys. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Waylen is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Waylen
Statistically, parents drawn to Waylen tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Zaylen, Oaklen, Kylen, Wren, and Callen.
ZaylenOaklenKylenWrenCallenTaylenKaisenValen
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Waylen | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 289 | #848 |
| 2024 | 316 | #795 |
| 2023 | 403 | #676 |
| 2022 | 263 | #894 |
| 2021 | 158 | #1218 |
| 2020 | 110 | #1518 |
| 2019 | 147 | #1271 |
| 2018 | 85 | #1792 |
| 2017 | 87 | #1768 |
| 2016 | 68 | #2066 |
| 2015 | 61 | #2212 |
| 2014 | 67 | #2082 |
| 2013 | 53 | #2364 |
| 2012 | 53 | #2380 |
| 2011 | 60 | #2173 |
| 2010 | 29 | #3633 |
| 2009 | 28 | #3721 |
| 2008 | 24 | #4145 |
| 2007 | 33 | #3313 |
| 2006 | 24 | #4001 |
| 2005 | 27 | #3528 |
| 2004 | 10 | #6976 |
| 2003 | 15 | #5035 |
| 2002 | 12 | #5725 |
| 2001 | 11 | #6013 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Waylen a popular boy name?
Waylen ranked #848 among boys in 2025 with 289 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #2212.
When was the name Waylen most popular?
Waylen peaked in 2023, when 403 American boys received the name (ranked #676 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Waylen?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 6,228 newborn American boys was named Waylen. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.