Troops and generals were spread throughout the area during encampments, including the township's namesake Anthony Wayne and the Marquis de Lafayette, who made his headquarters at the nearby Van Saun House. Alexander Hamilton, Washington's aide-de-camp, stayed at the house with him. During the Revolutionary War, General George Washington made his headquarters at the Dey Mansion, first in July 1780, and again in October and November 1780. In 1710, the area became part of Saddle River Township. Schuyler constructed the Schuyler-Colfax House at this time.

The group completed their purchase of 5,000 acres (20 km 2) on November 11, 1695, and the area became part of what was then known as New Barbadoes Township in Bergen County. The group chose Schuyler to be the negotiator with the Lenape and Bayard to negotiate with the East Jersey Company, the owner of the land rights from the King of England. Schuyler reported his findings to the British and then convinced a group including Major Anthony Brockholst and Samuel Bayard to invest in the land he referred to as the Pompton Valley. He found no evidence of a rebellion, but discovered a fertile river valley where the Lenape grew crops. In 1694, Arent Schuyler, a surveyor, trader and land speculator, was sent by the British into northwestern New Jersey to investigate rumors that the French were trying to incite the local Lenape Native Americans to rebel against them. Points of interest include William Paterson University, Willowbrook Mall, Wayne Towne Center, High Mountain Park Preserve, and Dey Mansion. Totowa was formed from portions of Wayne and Manchester Township on March 15, 1898. Wayne was formed as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 12, 1847, from portions of Manchester Township. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 54,838, an increase of 121 (+0.2%) from the 2010 census count of 54,717, which in turn reflected an increase of 648 (+1.2%) from the 54,069 counted in the 2000 census.

Home to William Paterson University and located less than 20 miles (32 km) from Midtown Manhattan, the township is a bedroom suburb of New York City and regional commercial hub of North Jersey. Wayne is a township in Passaic County, in the U.S.

Wayne township school district map