Adelyn
Feminine name of Germanic origin meaning "noble" or "nobility".
Name Census estimates that about 22,203 living Americans carry the first name Adelyn. It sits at #315 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Adelyn today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Adelyn births was 2014 (1,680 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Adelyn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Adelyn is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 11 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
22K
~ 1 in 15,437 Americans
Peak year
2014
1,680 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2014 SSA rank
#315
Tracked since 1899
Gender
Gender distribution for Adelyn
Out of the 22,758 babies given the name Adelyn since 1880, 100.0% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Adelyn as a male name
- Ranked #10,741 in 2014
- 6 male births in 2014
- Peak: 2014 (6 births)
Adelyn as a female name
- Ranked #315 in 2024
- 974 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2015 (1,680 births)
Popularity
Adelyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Adelyn from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 13,977 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Adelyn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Adelyn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Adelyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Adelyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 49 states and territories. Texas, California, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Adelyn, while Hawaii, Alaska, Wyoming recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 435 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Adelyn
The name Adelyn is a feminine given name of English origin, derived from the Germanic name Adeline, which itself is a combination of the Germanic elements "adal" meaning "noble" and "lindo" meaning "soft, tender, or delicate." It is believed to have emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Adelyn is found in the records of the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, England, in 1230, where a woman named Adelyn de Arundel is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use in England during the medieval period.
In terms of historical references, the name Adelyn does not appear to be directly mentioned in any major ancient texts, religious scriptures, or significant historical records. However, its roots in the Germanic languages and its similarity to names like Adeline and Adelaide suggest a connection to the nobility and aristocracy of medieval Europe.
Among the notable individuals who have borne the name Adelyn throughout history, one can mention:
1. Adelyn Dohme (1889-1968), an American philanthropist and socialite, known for her involvement in various charitable organizations and her support for the arts.
2. Adelyn Peyton Taft (1864-1943), an American educator and the daughter of President William Howard Taft. She was actively involved in promoting education and social welfare.
3. Adelyn Bushnell (1858-1944), an American author and journalist, known for her works on women's rights and social issues.
4. Adelyn Dohme Alsdorf (1921-2005), an American lawyer and philanthropist, who served as the president of the Board of Trustees of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore.
5. Adelyn Fitz (1907-1994), an American actress and dancer, who appeared in several Broadway productions and Hollywood films during the 1930s and 1940s.
While the name Adelyn is not as common today as some other variants like Adeline or Adelaide, it has maintained a presence throughout history, often associated with individuals of notable social standing or artistic inclinations.
People
Adelyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Adelyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Adelyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Adelyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 22,203 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Adelyn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 15,437 US residents.
Is Adelyn a common name?
We classify Adelyn as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 22,758 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Adelyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Adelyn was 2014, when 1,680 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Adelyn is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Adelyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Adelyn in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.