Dwayne is a male given name of American origin, derived from the English surname Wayne, which is of Old English origin. The name Wayne comes from the Middle English word "wigh", meaning "wagon". Thus, Dwayne literally means "from the wagon maker's house".
The use of Dwayne as a given name began in the United States during the mid-20th century. It gained popularity due to its unique sound and association with prominent public figures like American actor John Wayne.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Dwayne. Some examples include:
* Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, a retired professional wrestler and current actor who was born in 1972.
* Dwayne Schintzius, an American basketball player who played in the NBA during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Despite its popularity, Dwayne remains a relatively uncommon name compared to other choices such as Michael or James. It is typically associated with individuals of African-American descent but can be used for people of any ethnic background. Overall, Dwayne is a strong, distinctive name that carries historical significance and a unique meaning related to its Old English origins.
The name Dwayne has been given to babies born in the United States for over a century, with the first recorded birth occurring in 1912. Over the course of the next hundred years, the popularity of the name rose and fell, with several peaks and valleys along the way.
In the early 20th century, the name Dwayne was quite rare, with fewer than ten births per year between 1912 and 1934. However, beginning in 1935, there was a significant increase in the number of babies named Dwayne, with over 200 births each year for the next decade.
The popularity of the name continued to grow throughout the mid-20th century, reaching its peak in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In 1958, there were 1400 births of boys named Dwayne, a figure that nearly tripled by 1960, when over 3000 babies were given this name.
Despite its popularity during the mid-20th century, the name Dwayne began to decline in the late 1960s and early 1970s. By 1974, there were fewer than 1200 births of boys named Dwayne, a figure that continued to drop throughout the rest of the decade.
The decline of the name Dwayne continued into the 1980s and 1990s, with fewer than 1000 births per year during most of this time. However, there was a slight resurgence in popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with over 300 births each year between 2000 and 2005.
More recently, the name Dwayne has continued to decline in popularity. Between 2014 and 2023, there were fewer than 300 births of boys named Dwayne each year, with a low of just 140 births in 2023.
In total, over the course of more than a century, approximately 76,500 babies have been named Dwayne in the United States. Despite its ups and downs in popularity, the name continues to be given to newborn boys even today.