Cortlyn
Feminine name of unknown origin and unclear meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 385 living Americans carry the first name Cortlyn. It is a predominantly female name (96.2% of registrations). The average person named Cortlyn today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cortlyn births was 2001 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cortlyn. 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
385
~ 1 in 890,271 Americans
Peak year
2001
23 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2014 SSA rank
#12,444
Tracked since 1989
Gender
Gender distribution for Cortlyn
Cortlyn leans heavily female at 96.2% of total registrations, but 15 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Cortlyn as a male name
- Ranked #12,444 in 2014
- 5 male births in 2014
- Peak: 1994 (5 births)
Cortlyn as a female name
- Ranked #13,972 in 2022
- 6 female births in 2022
- Peak: 2006 (21 births)
Popularity
Cortlyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cortlyn from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 144 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cortlyn 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 Cortlyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cortlyns live
Origin
Meaning and history of Cortlyn
The name Cortlyn has its origins in the ancient Briton language spoken by the Celtic tribes that inhabited the region now known as Britain. It is believed to be derived from the Briton words "cor" meaning heart and "lyn" meaning lake or pool, thus suggesting a meaning of "heart of the lake" or "pure heart."
The earliest recorded use of the name Cortlyn dates back to the 5th century CE, when it was mentioned in an ancient manuscript chronicling the lives of early Christian saints in Britain. It is said that a young woman named Cortlyn lived near a sacred lake and was known for her kindness and purity of heart.
In the 7th century, the name Cortlyn appeared in the writings of the Venerable Bede, a renowned English monk and scholar. He mentioned a nobleman named Cortlyn who played a significant role in the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity.
During the Middle Ages, the name Cortlyn was relatively uncommon, but it gained popularity in certain regions of England and Wales. In the 12th century, a Cortlyn of Pembroke was recorded as a skilled archer who fought alongside King Richard I during the Crusades.
In the 16th century, a Cortlyn Blount was noted as a prominent courtier in the court of Queen Elizabeth I. She was known for her intelligence and wit, and was a close friend of the Queen.
Another notable figure with the name Cortlyn was Cortlyn Gwynne, a Welsh poet and writer who lived in the 17th century. His works celebrated the beauty of the Welsh landscape and the richness of its cultural traditions.
In the 19th century, Cortlyn Harwood was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Town Hall in Manchester and the Royal Albert Hall in London.
While the name Cortlyn has become less common in modern times, it remains a fascinating link to the rich cultural heritage of the Celtic peoples and the early Christian traditions of Britain.
People
Cortlyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cortlyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cortlyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cortlyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 385 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cortlyn 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 890,271 US residents.
Is Cortlyn a common name?
We classify Cortlyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 391 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cortlyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Cortlyn was 2001, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cortlyn is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cortlyn a female name?
Yes, 96.2% of people registered as Cortlyn 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.