Kielyn
A feminine name of obscure origin, possibly Irish or Scottish, meaning unknown.
Name Census estimates that about 95 living Americans carry the first name Kielyn. It is a predominantly female name (94.8% of registrations). The average person named Kielyn today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kielyn births was 2009 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kielyn. 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 Kielyn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
95
~ 1 in 3,607,940 Americans
Peak year
2009
18 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2009 SSA rank
#13,573
Tracked since 2007
Gender
Gender distribution for Kielyn
Kielyn leans heavily female at 94.8% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Kielyn as a male name
- Ranked #13,573 in 2009
- 5 male births in 2009
- Peak: 2009 (5 births)
Kielyn as a female name
- Ranked #14,498 in 2022
- 6 female births in 2022
- Peak: 2009 (13 births)
Popularity
Kielyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kielyn 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 40 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kielyn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kielyn 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 Kielyn 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 Kielyn
The given name Kielyn is of Celtic origin, with roots tracing back to the ancient Britons and their Brythonic language spoken in parts of modern-day Great Britain and Brittany during the Iron Age and Roman era. It is believed to be derived from the Welsh words "cil" meaning "retreat" or "secluded place" and "llyn" meaning "lake" or "pool".
The earliest recorded instances of the name Kielyn can be found in medieval Welsh genealogies and records, where it was often bestowed upon individuals born or residing near remote lakes or secluded bodies of water. One notable early bearer of the name was Kielyn ap Cadwgan, a Welsh nobleman and landowner who lived in the 12th century.
In the 16th century, the name Kielyn appeared in the writings of the Welsh poet and scholar Gruffydd Hiraethog, who mentioned a woman by that name in one of his love poems. This suggests that the name was still in use, albeit relatively rare, during the Renaissance period.
Over the centuries, the name Kielyn has been borne by several notable individuals, including Kielyn Rhys, a Welsh philosopher and theologian who lived in the 17th century and wrote extensively on the nature of the soul and the afterlife. Another prominent bearer of the name was Kielyn Jones, a Welsh historian and archivist who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and played a crucial role in preserving many ancient Welsh manuscripts and records.
In the 20th century, the name Kielyn gained some renewed popularity, particularly in Wales and among Welsh diaspora communities. One notable modern bearer of the name was Kielyn Bevan, a Welsh actress and singer who appeared in several theatrical productions and television shows in the 1970s and 1980s.
Despite its rarity, the name Kielyn has endured through the ages, carrying with it a rich cultural heritage and a connection to the ancient Celtic lands of Britain and Brittany. Its meaning and associations with secluded lakes and retreats continue to evoke a sense of tranquility and natural beauty, making it a unique and intriguing choice for those seeking a name with deep historical roots and a strong sense of place.
People
Kielyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kielyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kielyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kielyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 95 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kielyn 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 3,607,940 US residents.
Is Kielyn a common name?
We classify Kielyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 63.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 96 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kielyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Kielyn was 2009, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kielyn is about 13 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 Kielyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kielyn a female name?
Yes, 94.8% of people registered as Kielyn 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 Kielyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kielyn 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 Kielyn 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 Kielyn?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.