Dilyn
Of Welsh origin, meaning "to follow, pursue, or to be steadfast".
Name Census estimates that about 533 living Americans carry the first name Dilyn. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 57.4% of registrations being male. The average person named Dilyn today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dilyn births was 2003 (46 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dilyn. 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
- • Dilyn started out as a boys' name but over the decades crossed over and is now given to girls far more often.
People living today
533
~ 1 in 643,066 Americans
Peak year
2003
46 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2018 SSA rank
#11,125
Tracked since 1992
Gender
Gender distribution for Dilyn
Dilyn is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 540 total registrations, 310 (57.4%) were male and 230 (42.6%) were female.
Dilyn as a male name
- Ranked #11,125 in 2018
- 6 male births in 2018
- Peak: 2001 (25 births)
Dilyn as a female name
- Ranked #13,893 in 2024
- 6 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2003 (24 births)
Popularity
Dilyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dilyn from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 278 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
Dilyn 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 Dilyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dilyn
The name Dilyn originates from the Welsh language and culture. It is a modern variation of the Welsh name Dylan, which means "great sea" or "great tide." The name is believed to have derived from the Welsh elements "dy" meaning "great" and "llan" meaning "sea" or "tide."
In Welsh mythology, Dylan was the name of a legendary sea god or sea deity. He was the son of the Welsh mother goddess Arianrhod and was said to have been born with the ability to swim and walk immediately after birth. This connection to the sea and maritime mythology is likely the source of the name's meaning.
The earliest recorded use of the name Dylan dates back to the 16th century in Wales. However, it didn't become a popular name until the 20th century, likely influenced by the fame of the Welsh poet and writer Dylan Thomas (1914-1953), who is considered one of the most influential literary figures of the modern era.
Other notable historical figures with the name Dylan include:
1. Dylan Marlais Thomas (1914-1953), the renowned Welsh poet and writer mentioned above.
2. Dylan Rees (1901-1976), a Welsh rugby union player who played for Wales and the British Lions.
3. Dylan ap Gruffydd (c. 1328-1365), a Welsh landowner and military leader during the Revolt of Owain Glyndŵr.
4. Dylan Cozens (born 1996), a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Buffalo Sabres in the National Hockey League (NHL).
5. Dylan Hartley (born 1986), an English former rugby union player who captained the England national team.
While the name Dilyn is a more recent variation, it retains the Welsh roots and maritime connections of its predecessor, Dylan. The popularity of this name likely stems from its unique sound, Welsh heritage, and association with the legendary sea god and celebrated poet Dylan Thomas.
People
Dilyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dilyn 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
Dilyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dilyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 533 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dilyn 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 643,066 US residents.
Is Dilyn a common name?
We classify Dilyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 540 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dilyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Dilyn was 2003, when 46 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dilyn is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Dilyn a male name?
Yes, 57.4% of people registered as Dilyn 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.