Elyn
Light, brilliant; from the Old English word æl meaning "fire".
Name Census estimates that about 555 living Americans carry the first name Elyn. It is a predominantly female name (98.1% of registrations). The average person named Elyn today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Elyn births was 2010 (96 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Elyn. 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
555
~ 1 in 617,575 Americans
Peak year
2010
96 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2011 SSA rank
#8,064
Tracked since 1945
Gender
Gender distribution for Elyn
Elyn leans heavily female at 98.1% of total registrations, but 11 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Elyn as a male name
- Ranked #12,855 in 2011
- 5 male births in 2011
- Peak: 2010 (6 births)
Elyn as a female name
- Ranked #8,064 in 2024
- 13 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2010 (90 births)
Popularity
Elyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Elyn from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 383 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Elyn 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 Elyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Elyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Ohio, Texas, California recorded the most babies named Elyn, while North Carolina, Missouri, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Elyn
The name Elyn has its origins in the Welsh language and culture, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a diminutive form of the Welsh name Elen, which is derived from the Greek name Helen. The name Helen itself is derived from the Greek word "helene," meaning "bright shining one."
In Welsh mythology, Elen was the name of a legendary figure known as the "Elen of the Hosts." She was associated with the construction of ancient roads and was revered as a protector of travelers. The name Elyn was likely used as a shorter, more informal version of Elen, particularly in rural areas of Wales.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Elyn can be traced back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Elyn ap Rhys, a Welsh nobleman who lived in the late 13th century. He was a descendant of the Lord Rhys, the powerful ruler of the Kingdom of Deheubarth in South Wales.
Another notable historical figure with the name Elyn was Elyn Sion, a Welsh poet who lived in the 15th century. He was known for his elegant and lyrical works, which celebrated the beauty of the Welsh language and landscape.
In the 16th century, Elyn Vaughan was a prominent figure in the English Renaissance. She was a Welsh noblewoman and patron of the arts, known for her support of writers and artists during the Elizabethan era.
Moving forward in time, Elyn Callender was a British writer and journalist who lived in the 19th century. She was known for her novels and travelogues, which provided a vivid portrayal of life in Victorian England and her adventures abroad.
Lastly, Elyn Saks is a contemporary figure who was born in 1956. She is a renowned American legal scholar and mental health advocate, known for her work in destigmatizing mental illness and promoting greater understanding and support for those living with mental health challenges.
People
Elyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Elyn 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
Elyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 555 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Elyn 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 617,575 US residents.
Is Elyn a common name?
We classify Elyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 579 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Elyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Elyn was 2010, when 96 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Elyn is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Elyn a female name?
Yes, 98.1% of people registered as Elyn 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.