Dylian
A masculine name derived from the name Dylan, meaning "great sea" or "born from the waves".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Dylian. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dylian today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dylian births was 2009 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dylian. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Dylian. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2009
5 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2010 SSA rank
#12,796
Tracked since 2009
Popularity
Dylian: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dylian from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dylian 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 Dylian 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 Dylian
The name Dylian is believed to have originated from the Old Welsh language, which was spoken in Wales and parts of western England during the medieval period. It is likely derived from the Welsh word "dyliain," which means "to follow" or "to pursue." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who were known for their persistence or determination in pursuing their goals or beliefs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dylian can be found in the 13th-century Welsh manuscript "The Black Book of Carmarthen," which contains a collection of medieval Welsh poetry. In this text, a poet named Dylian ap Rhys is mentioned, though little is known about his life and background.
Throughout history, the name Dylian has been borne by several notable individuals. One such person was Dylian Penrhyn (1453-1505), a Welsh landowner and nobleman who played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars fought between the Houses of Lancaster and York for the English throne.
Another prominent figure with the name Dylian was Dylian ap Gruffydd (1612-1677), a Welsh clergyman and writer who served as the chaplain to Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War. He is best known for his work "Y Gwir yn Erbyn y Byd" (The Truth Against the World), a religious treatise that defended the principles of Puritanism.
In the 18th century, Dylian Jones (1725-1795) was a renowned Welsh architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in Wales, including Hafod Uchtryd, a country house in Ceredigion.
Moving to the 19th century, Dylian Foulkes (1836-1901) was a Welsh artist and engraver who gained recognition for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting scenes from Wales and other parts of Britain.
In more recent times, Dylian Powell (1914-1997) was a Welsh author and journalist who wrote extensively about Welsh culture and history. His works include "Gŵr y Trydydd Llanc" (The Man with the Third Thumb), a novel that explores the folklore and traditions of rural Wales.
While the name Dylian has its roots in Welsh culture and language, it has also been adopted and used in other parts of the world, though its popularity has varied over time and across different regions.
People
Dylian + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dylian 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
Dylian: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dylian?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dylian 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Dylian a common name?
We classify Dylian as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dylian most popular?
The single biggest year for Dylian was 2009, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dylian is about 16 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 Dylian in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dylian a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dylian 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.
Is Dylian still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dylian 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 Dylian 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 are called Dylian?
You can see how many Americans are named Dylian on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.