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Very Rare

Devlyn

A surname originating from the Scottish meaning "bearer of the feared one".

Name Census estimates that about 599 living Americans carry the first name Devlyn. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 56.0% of registrations being male. The average person named Devlyn today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Devlyn births was 2008 (34 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Devlyn. 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

599

~ 1 in 572,211 Americans

Peak year

2008

34 babies that year

Average age

20

years old

2023 SSA rank

#12,672

Tracked since 1969

Gender

Gender distribution for Devlyn

Devlyn is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 609 total registrations, 341 (56.0%) were male and 268 (44.0%) were female.

56% male
44% female
Male341 (56.0%)Female268 (44.0%)

Devlyn as a male name

  • Ranked #12,672 in 2023
  • 5 male births in 2023
  • Peak: 2004 (21 births)

Devlyn as a female name

  • Ranked #13,883 in 2024
  • 6 female births in 2024
  • Peak: 2008 (16 births)

Popularity

Devlyn: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Devlyn from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 247 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

MaleFemale
09172634197019801990200020102020

Decades

Devlyn 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 Devlyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
1960s066
1970s81523
1980s606
1990s692493
2000s16681247
2010s76113189
2020s162945

Origin

Meaning and history of Devlyn

The name Devlyn is of Celtic origin, specifically from the Irish Gaelic language. It is believed to have emerged around the 5th or 6th century CE, during the early medieval period in Ireland. The name is derived from the Gaelic words "dubh" meaning dark or black, and "linn" meaning pool or lake. As such, the name Devlyn is thought to have originally referred to someone who lived near a dark or black lake.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Devlyn can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a medieval Irish chronicle dating back to the 12th century. This text mentions a man named Devlyn who was a notable religious figure and scholar in the year 1175.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Devlyn. One of the most famous was Devlyn O'Cuill, an Irish chieftain and warrior who lived in the late 12th century. He is remembered for leading his clan in battles against the Anglo-Norman invaders of Ireland during this period.

Another historical figure named Devlyn was Devlyn MacCormick, a 16th-century Irish monk and scribe who is credited with preserving many ancient Irish manuscripts through his meticulous copying work. He lived from approximately 1525 to 1590.

In the 17th century, there was a Devlyn O'Flaherty, an Irish poet and bard who composed numerous works in the Gaelic language. He was born around 1620 and is believed to have died sometime in the late 1600s.

Moving forward to the 19th century, a man named Devlyn O'Reilly was a prominent Irish nationalist and political activist during the struggle for Irish independence. He was born in 1825 and played a significant role in the Irish Republican Brotherhood movement.

While the name Devlyn has its roots in Irish Gaelic culture, it has since spread to other parts of the world and has been adopted by various ethnic groups. However, the historical examples provided illustrate the name's deep connections to Ireland and its rich cultural heritage.

People

Devlyn + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Devlyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.

Related

Other names starting with D

Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.

FAQ

Devlyn: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Devlyn?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 599 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Devlyn 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 572,211 US residents.

Is Devlyn a common name?

We classify Devlyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 609 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Devlyn most popular?

The single biggest year for Devlyn was 2008, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Devlyn is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

Is Devlyn a male name?

Yes, 56.0% of people registered as Devlyn in the SSA data are male. 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.

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