Nylon
A synthetic fiber made from coal, air, and water molecules.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Nylon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nylon today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nylon births was 2023 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nylon. 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 Nylon. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2023
6 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,854
Tracked since 2023
Popularity
Nylon: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Nylon 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 Nylon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Nylon
The given name Nylon is a relatively modern invention, having been coined in the 20th century by the American chemist Wallace Hume Carothers (1896-1937). It is not derived from any ancient language or culture, but rather from a combination of the words "no" and "ylon," which referred to the amide and alcohol groups present in the chemical compound's molecular structure.
The term Nylon was first used in 1935 to describe a synthetic polymer fiber developed by Carothers while working for the DuPont Company. Carothers and his team were searching for a silk-like material that could be mass-produced and used in various industrial applications, such as clothing, parachutes, and tire cords.
While Nylon is not a traditional given name, it has been adopted by some individuals as a unique and unconventional choice. One of the earliest examples of Nylon being used as a first name was Nylon Kathleen Leavitt, born in 1941 in the United States. Her parents, who worked in a nylon factory, chose the name to honor the innovative material that had become a symbol of modern technology and progress.
Another notable person named Nylon was Nylon Suzi, a pioneering punk rock musician from the United Kingdom. Born Susan Hendricks in 1958, she adopted the stage name Nylon Suzi and gained recognition as the lead singer of the band Nylon Beat in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
In the world of sports, Nylon Curry was a professional basketball player from the United States. Born in 1992, he played college basketball at Virginia Tech before being drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA in 2016.
Nylon Archibald was a British artist and sculptor known for his abstract works in various materials, including nylon fibers. Born in 1925, he was active in the London art scene during the post-war period and had several solo exhibitions throughout his career.
Lastly, Nylon Everest was a renowned mountaineer and explorer from Nepal. Born in 1954, he was part of several successful expeditions to Mount Everest and played a crucial role in establishing sustainable tourism practices in the Himalayan region.
While Nylon is not a traditional given name with deep historical roots, it has been adopted by a diverse group of individuals across different fields, reflecting the innovative and modern spirit of the material it was derived from.
People
Nylon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nylon as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nylon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nylon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nylon 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Nylon a common name?
We classify Nylon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nylon most popular?
The single biggest year for Nylon was 2023, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nylon is about 3 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 Nylon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nylon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nylon 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.
Is Nylon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nylon 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 Nylon 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 have the name Nylon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.