Eilyn
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of Helen.
Name Census estimates that about 253 living Americans carry the first name Eilyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Eilyn today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Eilyn births was 2024 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Eilyn. 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
253
~ 1 in 1,354,760 Americans
Peak year
2024
28 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,791
Tracked since 2001
Census
Eilyn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 319 people with the first name Eilyn, which placed it at #28,252 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#28,252
National first-name rank
People counted
319
319 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
83.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eilyn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Eilyn is Hispanic at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.2%) and White (6.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Eilyn described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Eilyn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino83.7% · 267
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.2% · 23
- White6.9% · 22
- Black or African American1.6% · 5
- Two or more races0.6% · 2
Popularity
Eilyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Eilyn 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 117 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Eilyn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Eilyn 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 Eilyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Eilyns live
Origin
Meaning and history of Eilyn
The name Eilyn has its origins in the ancient Welsh language, tracing back to the 5th century AD. It is believed to be derived from the Welsh words "ei" meaning "her" and "llyn" meaning "lake" or "pool." Thus, the name Eilyn can be interpreted as "her lake" or "her pool."
During the early medieval period, the name was predominantly found in the regions of Wales and parts of northwestern England, where Welsh culture and influence were prominent. It was a popular name among the Welsh nobility and aristocracy, reflecting the importance of natural features such as lakes and pools in their cultural heritage.
While there are no direct historical references to the name Eilyn in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is likely that the name was in use among the Welsh people during the early Middle Ages. The earliest recorded examples of the name date back to the 9th century, found in various Welsh genealogical records and chronicles.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Eilyn was Eilyn ferch Rhys, a Welsh noblewoman who lived in the late 10th century. She was the daughter of Rhys ap Gruffydd, a powerful Welsh prince and ruler of the Kingdom of Deheubarth.
Another notable figure bearing the name Eilyn was Eilyn ferch Owain, a Welsh princess who lived in the 12th century. She was the daughter of Owain Gwynedd, a prominent ruler of the Gwynedd kingdom in northern Wales.
In the 13th century, Eilyn verch Llywelyn was a prominent figure in Welsh history. She was the daughter of Llywelyn the Great, one of the most revered and powerful Welsh princes of the time.
During the 14th century, Eilyn ferch Madog was a noblewoman from the Welsh kingdom of Powys. She was known for her involvement in various political and dynastic conflicts of the era.
In the 15th century, Eilyn ferch Dafydd was a notable figure in Welsh history. She was the daughter of Dafydd ap Gruffydd, a Welsh nobleman and descendant of the princes of Gwynedd.
While the name Eilyn has its roots in Welsh culture and history, it has since become more obscure and less commonly used in modern times. However, its historical significance and connection to the rich Welsh heritage and tradition remain an essential part of its meaning and legacy.
People
Eilyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Eilyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Eilyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eilyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 253 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Eilyn 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 1,354,760 US residents.
Is Eilyn a common name?
We classify Eilyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 255 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Eilyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Eilyn was 2024, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Eilyn is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Eilyn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 319 people with the name Eilyn, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #28,252 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Eilyn in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Eilyn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Eilyn appears almost entirely female. Of the 324 people counted with this name, 99.1% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Eilyn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Eilyn is Hispanic at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.2%) and White (6.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Eilyn most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Eilyn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.7% (267 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Eilyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Eilyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Eilyn 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 Eilyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Eilyn 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 Eilyn 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.
How many people are called Eilyn?
You can see how many people share the name Eilyn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.