Kylyn
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of Kyla.
Name Census estimates that about 525 living Americans carry the first name Kylyn. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 73.5% of registrations being female. The average person named Kylyn today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kylyn births was 2016 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kylyn. 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
525
~ 1 in 652,865 Americans
Peak year
2016
29 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,052
Tracked since 1991
Census
Kylyn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 423 people with the first name Kylyn, which placed it at #23,223 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#23,223
National first-name rank
People counted
423
423 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
59.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kylyn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kylyn is White at 59.8%. The next largest groups are Black (22.9%) and Two or More Races (9.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kylyn described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kylyn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.8% · 253
- Black or African American22.9% · 97
- Two or more races9.0% · 38
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 5
Gender
Gender distribution for Kylyn
Kylyn is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 532 total registrations, 141 (26.5%) were male and 391 (73.5%) were female.
Kylyn as a male name
- Ranked #7,052 in 2024
- 12 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (15 births)
Kylyn as a female name
- Ranked #11,646 in 2024
- 8 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (20 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kylyn on both sides of the split. Of the 430 people counted with this name, 108 were male (25.1%) and 322 were female (74.9%).
Popularity
Kylyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kylyn from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 176 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kylyn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kylyn 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 Kylyn 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 Kylyn
The given name Kylyn has its roots in ancient Gaelic and Celtic cultures, dating back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from the old Irish word "caolán," which means "slender" or "lean," and was often used to describe someone with a slim or graceful physique.
In the early medieval period, the name Kylyn was predominantly found in regions of Ireland, Scotland, and parts of Wales. It was commonly given to both males and females, although its usage was more prevalent among the former. The earliest recorded instance of the name can be traced back to an Irish monk named Kylyn of Clonmacnoise, who lived in the 6th century AD and was renowned for his scholarly works.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Kylyn appeared in various Celtic legends and folklore. One notable mention is in the Welsh tale of "Culhwch and Olwen," where Kylyn is described as a brave warrior who accompanied the hero Culhwch on his epic quest. This literary reference highlights the name's association with courage and strength within Celtic culture.
In the 12th century, a Scottish nobleman named Kylyn MacKenzie was recorded as a prominent figure in the Highlands. He played a significant role in the clan conflicts of the time and is remembered for his leadership and strategic skills.
Another historical figure bearing the name Kylyn was an Irish poet and bard from the 16th century. Known as Kylyn O'Daly, he was celebrated for his eloquent verses and his contributions to preserving the rich oral tradition of Irish literature.
During the Renaissance period, a Dutch painter named Kylyn van der Neer (1603-1686) gained recognition for his masterful depictions of nocturnal landscapes and moonlit scenes. His artwork is highly regarded and can be found in various renowned art collections around the world.
In the 19th century, a Scottish explorer named Kylyn Mackenzie (1820-1892) made significant contributions to the exploration of central Africa. His travels and detailed accounts of the region's geography and cultures were widely published and influential during that time.
While the name Kylyn has experienced periods of varying popularity throughout history, it has maintained a strong connection to its Celtic and Gaelic origins, often associated with qualities such as grace, bravery, and artistic expression.
People
Kylyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kylyn 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
Kylyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kylyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 525 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kylyn 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 652,865 US residents.
Is Kylyn a common name?
We classify Kylyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 532 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kylyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Kylyn was 2016, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kylyn is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kylyn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 423 people with the name Kylyn, or 0.14 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #23,223 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kylyn in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kylyn?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kylyn on both sides of the split. Of the 430 people counted with this name, 108 were male (25.1%) and 322 were female (74.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kylyn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kylyn is White at 59.8%. The next largest groups are Black (22.9%) and Two or More Races (9.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kylyn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kylyn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.8% (253 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Kylyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kylyn a female name?
Yes, 73.5% of people registered as Kylyn 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 Kylyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kylyn 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 Kylyn 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.
How many Americans are named Kylyn?
See how many people share the name Kylyn on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.