Baelyn
A gender-neutral English name meaning "bringer of light".
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the first name Baelyn. It is a predominantly female name (91.5% of registrations). The average person named Baelyn today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Baelyn births was 2013 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Baelyn. 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.
People living today
128
~ 1 in 2,677,768 Americans
Peak year
2013
22 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2013 SSA rank
#10,367
Tracked since 2006
Gender
Gender distribution for Baelyn
Baelyn leans heavily female at 91.5% of total registrations, but 11 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Baelyn as a male name
- Ranked #12,353 in 2013
- 5 male births in 2013
- Peak: 2012 (6 births)
Baelyn as a female name
- Ranked #10,367 in 2024
- 9 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2013 (17 births)
Popularity
Baelyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Baelyn from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 76 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Baelyn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Baelyn 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 Baelyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Baelyns live
Origin
Meaning and history of Baelyn
The given name Baelyn is believed to have originated from a combination of the Old English words "bæl" meaning "fire" and "wyn" meaning "joy" or "delight." This suggests that the name may have initially held meanings related to the warmth, light, or brightness associated with fire.
The earliest recorded use of the name Baelyn dates back to the 11th century, when it appeared in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a collection of annals narrating the history of the Anglo-Saxons. In this historical record, Baelyn was mentioned as the name of a minor nobleman from Mercia, one of the ancient kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England.
During the Middle Ages, the name Baelyn gained some popularity among the noble and gentry classes in parts of England and Scotland. One notable bearer of the name was Sir Baelyn de Courtenay, a 13th-century English knight who fought in the Eighth Crusade and is mentioned in several contemporary chronicles for his bravery on the battlefield.
In the 15th century, a variant spelling of the name, "Baylen," appeared in the records of the Worshipful Company of Mercers, one of the oldest livery companies in the City of London. It was the name of a prominent merchant and member of the company during that period.
Another historical figure with the name Baelyn was a 16th-century Welsh poet and bard known as Baelyn ap Rhys. He is renowned for his contributions to the tradition of Welsh poetry and is featured in several anthologies and collections of Welsh literature from that era.
In the 17th century, a Puritan minister named Baelyn Winslow was among the early settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America. He is mentioned in the records of the Plymouth Colony for his efforts in establishing one of the first churches in the colony.
While the name Baelyn has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has continued to be used sporadically across various cultures and regions. Its unique blend of Old English roots and potential associations with warmth, joy, and light have likely contributed to its enduring appeal as a given name.
People
Baelyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Baelyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Baelyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Baelyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 128 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Baelyn 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 2,677,768 US residents.
Is Baelyn a common name?
We classify Baelyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 129 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Baelyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Baelyn was 2013, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Baelyn is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Baelyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Baelyn a female name?
Yes, 91.5% of people registered as Baelyn 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.
Is Baelyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Baelyn in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Baelyn can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Baelyn as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Baelyn, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.