Emlyn
A Welsh masculine name of uncertain meaning, possibly derived from Celtic elements.
Name Census estimates that about 452 living Americans carry the first name Emlyn. It is a predominantly female name (97.9% of registrations). The average person named Emlyn today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Emlyn births was 2018 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Emlyn. 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
452
~ 1 in 758,306 Americans
Peak year
2018
37 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,362
Tracked since 1923
Gender
Gender distribution for Emlyn
Emlyn leans heavily female at 97.9% of total registrations, but 10 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Emlyn as a male name
- Ranked #12,779 in 2023
- 5 male births in 2023
- Peak: 1923 (5 births)
Emlyn as a female name
- Ranked #11,362 in 2024
- 8 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2018 (37 births)
Popularity
Emlyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Emlyn from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 186 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Emlyn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Emlyn 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 Emlyn 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 Emlyn
The given name Emlyn originated from the Welsh language, spoken primarily in Wales. It derives from the Welsh words "em" meaning "brow" or "ridge", and "llyn" meaning "lake" or "pool". Together, the name is said to mean "ridge by the lake" or "ridge near the pool". This makes sense given the geographical landscape of Wales, known for its mountainous terrain and numerous lakes and bodies of water.
The name Emlyn has its roots in the early medieval period of Welsh history, around the 5th to 8th centuries. It was a common name among the Welsh people during this time, particularly in areas like Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, and Ceredigion. Variations in spelling such as Emlin, Emlyn, and Emelyn were also used.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Emlyn can be found in the Annales Cambriae, a chronicle of Welsh history dating back to the 10th century. The name is mentioned in reference to a person named Emlyn ap Gwriad, who was involved in battles against the Saxons in the late 6th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Emlyn. One of the most famous was Emlyn Williams (1905-1987), a Welsh actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He was known for his one-man show "Dylan Thomas Growing Up" and his performances in films such as "The Corn Is Green" and "Goodbye, Mr. Chips".
Another notable Emlyn was Emlyn Hooson (1925-2003), a Welsh lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the UK's House of Commons from 1962 to 1979. He was a prominent figure in the Liberal Party and a strong advocate for Welsh language and culture.
In the field of literature, Emlyn Williams (1878-1958), a Welsh playwright and novelist, was known for his work "The Corn Is Green", which was later adapted into a film starring Bette Davis.
Emlyn Capel (1869-1965) was a Welsh Baptist minister and author who wrote extensively on religious and theological topics, including a biography of the Welsh preacher Christmas Evans.
Emlyn Rees (1850-1912) was a Welsh academic and clergyman who served as the principal of the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, and played a significant role in the development of higher education in Wales.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who carried the name Emlyn, reflecting its deep roots in Welsh culture and its continued use over the centuries.
People
Emlyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Emlyn 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
Emlyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Emlyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 452 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Emlyn 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 758,306 US residents.
Is Emlyn a common name?
We classify Emlyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 467 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Emlyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Emlyn was 2018, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Emlyn is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Emlyn a female name?
Yes, 97.9% of people registered as Emlyn 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.