Gaylin
A feminine name of modern American origin with uncertain meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 137 living Americans carry the first name Gaylin. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 57.6% of registrations being male. The average person named Gaylin today is around 65 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gaylin births was 1958 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gaylin. 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
137
~ 1 in 2,501,856 Americans
Peak year
1958
16 babies that year
Average age
65
years old
1975 SSA rank
#5,767
Tracked since 1931
Gender
Gender distribution for Gaylin
Gaylin is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 191 total registrations, 110 (57.6%) were male and 81 (42.4%) were female.
Gaylin as a male name
- Ranked #5,767 in 1975
- 5 male births in 1975
- Peak: 1950 (13 births)
Gaylin as a female name
- Ranked #14,245 in 1993
- 5 female births in 1993
- Peak: 1952 (9 births)
Popularity
Gaylin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gaylin from the 1930s through to the 1990s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 80 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gaylin 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 Gaylin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gaylins live
Origin
Meaning and history of Gaylin
The name Gaylin has its origins in the Old English language, with roots that can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon period, roughly between the 5th and 11th centuries CE. The name is derived from the Old English words "gæ" meaning "gay" or "cheerful," and "linn" which refers to a waterfall or a pool. Thus, the name Gaylin can be interpreted as "cheerful pool" or "joyful waterfall."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gaylin can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and their properties commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. In this historical record, a landowner named Gaylin is mentioned as holding estates in the county of Oxfordshire.
During the Middle Ages, the name Gaylin was particularly popular among the aristocracy and landed gentry of England. One notable bearer of this name was Sir Gaylin de Beauchamp, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War against France in the 14th century.
In the 16th century, a renowned English composer named Gaylin Tye made significant contributions to the development of sacred music during the Protestant Reformation. His works, including the famous anthem "I Will Exalt Thee, O Lord," were widely performed in churches across England.
The 17th century saw the emergence of Gaylin Fawcett, a prominent English philosopher and mathematician who made groundbreaking discoveries in the field of optics and the nature of light. His treatise, "The Philosophical Rudiments of Optics," published in 1684, laid the foundation for many subsequent advancements in the field.
In the literary world, the 19th century witnessed the rise of Gaylin Bronte, a celebrated English novelist and poet. Her seminal work, "Wuthering Heights," published in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell, is considered a classic of English literature and a masterpiece of Gothic fiction.
Throughout history, the name Gaylin has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, each leaving their mark on the world in their own unique way. While the name may have evolved over time and across different cultures, its roots remain deeply embedded in the rich tapestry of the English language and its enduring legacy.
People
Gaylin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gaylin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gaylin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gaylin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 137 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gaylin 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 2,501,856 US residents.
Is Gaylin a common name?
We classify Gaylin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 191 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gaylin most popular?
The single biggest year for Gaylin was 1958, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gaylin is about 65 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gaylin a male name?
Yes, 57.6% of people registered as Gaylin 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.