Heilyn
A feminine name of modern invention, possibly derived from the word "hail".
Name Census estimates that about 99 living Americans carry the first name Heilyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Heilyn today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Heilyn births was 2023 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Heilyn. 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 Heilyn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
99
~ 1 in 3,462,165 Americans
Peak year
2023
13 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,788
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Heilyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Heilyn from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 49 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
Heilyn 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 Heilyn 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 Heilyn
The name Heilyn has its roots in the ancient Germanic languages, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 5th century AD. It is thought to be derived from the proto-Germanic word "hailaz," which means "whole" or "healthy." This suggests that the name may have originally been given to children as a wish for good health and well-being.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Heilyn can be found in the Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century manuscript containing a translation of the Bible into the Gothic language. In this text, the name appears as "Hailins," referring to a minor character.
During the Middle Ages, the name Heilyn gained popularity among Germanic tribes, particularly in the regions that are now parts of modern-day Germany and the Netherlands. Several historical figures bore this name, including Heilyn of Cologne (1020-1087), a Benedictine monk and scholar who wrote extensively on theological matters.
In the 12th century, a knight named Heilyn von Rheinau (1125-1192) gained fame for his bravery in the Crusades. His exploits were chronicled in various contemporary accounts, cementing his place in the annals of medieval history.
Another notable figure was Heilyn of Nuremberg (1310-1378), a prominent merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of several churches and hospitals in his hometown.
Moving forward to the Renaissance period, the name Heilyn was borne by Heilyn Bockholtz (1495-1560), a German astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the understanding of planetary motion.
Throughout the centuries, the name Heilyn has maintained a consistent, if somewhat rare, presence across various Germanic regions and cultures. While its usage has waxed and waned over time, it has endured as a testament to its ancient and storied origins.
People
Heilyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Heilyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Heilyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Heilyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 99 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Heilyn 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 3,462,165 US residents.
Is Heilyn a common name?
We classify Heilyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 100 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Heilyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Heilyn was 2023, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Heilyn is about 8 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 Heilyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Heilyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Heilyn 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 Heilyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Heilyn 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 Heilyn 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 share the name Heilyn?
Find out how many Americans are named Heilyn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.