The Payen surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 627 people carried this name — #35,812 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 476,200 people counted. That is up 16% from 542 in 2000.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 4,560 people named Payen.
81 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 87 départements, most often Nord.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 395 people named Payen live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Hainaut.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
Who carried it
People named Payen,
with a public archive behind them.
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Antoine Payen 1792–1853 · naturalist -
Anselme Payen 1795–1871 · physicist -
Ennemond Payen d. 1896 · painter
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Nicolas Payen 1512–1559 · composer
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Gaspard Payen 1515–1559 · viol player
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Pontus Payen 1540–1609 · jurist
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Payen.
When the index is not enough
This page says where Payen is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.