Every State’s Favorite Taylor Swift Lover

All’s well that ends well to end up with you — but of course, life doesn’t always go as planned — even for pop princess Taylor Swift. Taylor may be known for her 11 studio albums that have shaped the music industry as we know it, but no icon gets to where they are without a few bumps in the road. 

Every great artist has a muse, and lucky for us, Taylor has several ex-boyfriends who have inspired some of her most gut-wrenching songs that we know and love. Taylor has a tendency to “put people on the map,” as the people she hangs out with earn an immediate place in the spotlight.  

But which one of her past boyfriends has earned the most popularity from the pop star? We turned to Google Trends to map out the search interest of her former boyfriends across the U.S. 

Is Joe Jonas still paying the price of breaking up with her via a 27-second phone call? Is Jake Gyllenhall still wishing he had given the red scarf back? We crunched the numbers to find out. Baby, let the games begin. 

It might be long gone, and that magic might not be here no more, but we first wanted to know which of Taylor’s boyfriends gained the most popularity while they were with her, a.k.a, during each of their dating eras. 

It was rare, Jake Gyllenhaal was there. The actor is among Taylor’s most popular ex-boyfriends, with 17 U.S. states searching for him the most while they were together. Gyllenhaal dated the singer for just a few months in the Fall of 2010 and is notoriously the villain of the longest song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100, “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)”. 

Tom Hiddleston knows best that nothing good starts in a getaway car. His three-month relationship made an impact on 17 states, tying Gyllenhaal for the title of Swift’s most popular ex. While Taylor rarely speaks publicly about her relationships, it’s rumored that she broke things off because she wanted their relationship to stay more private than he did. 

Once upon a time, Joe Jonas said, “forever and always.” It may not have ended up that way, but Jonas is the top-searched ex in five states, including Florida and Kentucky. Jonas and Swift dated in 2008, just two years after the release of her debut album in 2006. 

John Mayer and Harry Styles share a few things in common — one of which is their popularity in three U.S. states. Mayer is the top-searched ex in Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina, while Styles takes the title in Maine, New Jersey, and West Virginia. 

They both might be singers, but Swifties have very different perceptions of the two men. Mayer faced some of the most backlash of any of Taylor’s former partners, partially because of their 12 year age difference. 

Some things never go out of style. We next wanted to know which of Taylor’s exes are still dominating popularity today, based on search interest over the past year. 

Jake Gyllenhaal, who garnered attention when he dated Swift, is the overwhelmingly most popular with the majority of states (30) searching him the most in 2024. This could be due to his own career, or it could also be a result of Swift’s re-recordings renewing him as the center of attention. 

“Red (Taylor’s Version)” was re-released in 2021, and re-hashed all of the drama, causing Swifties to flock to the comments of Gyllenhaal’s social media posts. 

Despite being her most recent and arguably most serious relationship, Joe Alwyn is represented just once on the map in D.C.. The two dated for six years before their breakup was publicized in April 2023, during the midst of the Eras tour. It was legendary, it was momentary. 

Because of this, many fans were shocked to hear that countless songs on Swift’s newest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” are seemingly about Matty Healy, who she had a short fling with following her breakup with Alwyn. Apparently, the nation agrees with Healy’s irrelevancy, as despite being included in our research, no states claimed him as the top ex, neither now nor during their relationship. Maybe he really is the smallest man who ever lived. 

Swear you don’t love the drama? 

All things aside, it’s important to remember that love’s never lost when perspective is earned.

“The biggest news about the data (and this article!) is that women’s sexual experience isn’t being devalued,” said Dr. Wendy Walsh, clinical psychologist. “In fact, it’s being celebrated! Patriarchy certainly contributed to a kind of sexual double standard, the one where men get points for sexual experience and women get demerit points. Yet Taylor’s roster of men does not detract from her popularity. It seems to be adding to her female cred, and she’s not stopping soon. Travis, will you be the subject of a number one single someday?”

Whether you love (or love to hate) Taylor Lautner or Tom Hiddleston, each of them played an important role in Taylor’s journey. 

If you’re looking to find your Travis Kelce, check out our blog for the latest dating and relationship tips. Maybe you’ll find the end of your invisible string!  

To determine the most popular Taylor Swift ex in every U.S. state, we examined 11 of her former boyfriends that were prominently reported on in the news. We analyzed the regional interest of the 11 men using Google Trends search data, both during their relationship and in the past 12 months. Finally, we compared search interest across the U.S. to find every state’s top ex-boyfriend in both time parameters. We used high search interest as an indicator of popularity. 

Below is a breakdown of the men we included and the timeline of their relationship with Swift:

Joe Jones: July 2008 – October 2008
Lucas Till: March 2009 – April 2009
Taylor Lautner: October 2009 – December 2009
John Mayer: December 2009 – February 2010
Jake Gyllenhaal: October 2010 – January 2011
Conor Kennedy: July 2012 – October 2012
Harry Styles: November 2012 – January 2013
Calvin Harris: February 2015 – May 2016
Tom Hiddleston: May 2016 – September 2016
Joe Alwyn: May 2017 – April 2023
Matty Healy: May 2023 – June 2023