The first name Wayne
A boy’s name from English meaning “wagon”.
Pronounced /weɪn/ 1 syllable Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
English origin
Wayne means “wagon” in English.
An occupational surname for a cartwright, Old English wægen (“wagon”). Cf. wain.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 8 boys were named Wayne, making it the 2,664th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 1996, with 84 births (#296).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Wayne with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Wayne at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 422 boys born in the United States were named Wayne, the 655th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1947, when 10,169 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Wayne in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Famous people named Wayne
142 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Wayne RooneyEnglish footballer and manager, born 1985
- Wayne GretzkyCanadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1961)
- Wayne BridgeEnglish footballer (born 1980)
- Wayne KnightAmerican actor, born 1955
- John Wayne GacyAmerican serial killer (1942–1994)
- Wayne ShorterAmerican jazz saxophonist and composer (1933–2023)
- Wayne BradyAmerican actor, comedian, and television personality, born 1972
- Wayne DyerAmerican writer (1940-2015)
- Wayne StaticAmerican musician (1965–2014)
- Wayne AllwineAmerican voice actor (1947–2009)
- Wayne RoutledgeEnglish association football player (born 1985)
- Wayne RogersAmerican actor (1933–2015)
More English boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Wayne mean?
- Wayne means “wagon” in English.
- What is the origin of the name Wayne?
- An occupational surname for a cartwright, Old English wægen (“wagon”). Cf. wain.
- How popular is the name Wayne?
- In 2025, 8 boys born in England and Wales were named Wayne, ranking 2,664th. Its peak was 1996, with 84 births.
- Is Wayne a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 356,422 US babies named Wayne since 1880 were boys.
- When was Wayne most popular?
- 1947 in the United States, when 10,169 babies were named Wayne, its highest rank at 30th.
- How do you pronounce Wayne?
- Wayne is /weɪn/, one syllable.
- Is Wayne also a surname?
- Yes. Wayne is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.