Dylan

Dylan: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “son of the sea”
Origin: Welsh
Say it: DIL-un · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys (96% of all uses)

From Welsh mythology: Dylan ail Don. The name is traditionally interpreted as 'son of the sea' or linked with sea imagery.

Welsh names English names American names Names meaning sea Names meaning water Classic names Mythological names International names

How popular is Dylan?

20242,364 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Dylan in 20247,868

2024 rank#28 boys

Peak year2001

Total US babies since 1880428,351

Dylan has been fairly stable over the last fifteen years.

Names like Dylan

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Dillangreat tide · Welsh
Owenwell-born; young warrior · Welsh
Evanthe Lord is gracious · Welsh
Maddoxson of Madoc · Welsh
Ellisbenevolent · Welsh
Griffinstrong lord · Welsh
Gavinwhite hawk · Welsh
Bowenson of Owen · Welsh

Dylan questions

What does the name Dylan mean?

Dylan means "son of the sea". It comes from Welsh. From Welsh mythology: Dylan ail Don. The name is traditionally interpreted as 'son of the sea' or linked with sea imagery.

Is Dylan a boy or girl name?

Dylan is mainly a boy's name in US records (96% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Dylan?

7,868 US babies were named Dylan in 2024. Its peak year was 2001.

How do you pronounce Dylan?

Dylan is usually pronounced DIL-un.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.