Paelyn
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of Pauline.
Name Census estimates that about 72 living Americans carry the first name Paelyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Paelyn today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Paelyn births was 2009 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Paelyn. 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 Paelyn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
72
~ 1 in 4,760,477 Americans
Peak year
2009
16 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2017 SSA rank
#17,801
Tracked since 2009
Popularity
Paelyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Paelyn from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 57 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
Paelyn 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 Paelyn 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 Paelyn
The name Paelyn is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "pæl," meaning "noble" or "high-ranking." It is believed to have emerged during the Anglo-Saxon period, which lasted from the 5th to the 11th century in Britain.
While the name Paelyn is not widely documented in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is thought to have been used among the nobility and upper classes of Anglo-Saxon society. The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 9th century, when a nobleman named Paelyn was mentioned in the Domesday Book, a detailed record of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Paelyn remained relatively uncommon but was occasionally found among the English aristocracy. One notable bearer of the name was Sir Paelyn de Montfort (c. 1235-1298), a knight and military commander who fought in the Second Barons' War against King Henry III.
During the Renaissance period, the name Paelyn experienced a modest resurgence in popularity. Paelyn Wycliffe (1524-1592), an English philosopher and theologian, was a prominent figure of the time. He is best known for his translation of the Bible into the vernacular English language, a groundbreaking achievement that paved the way for the widespread dissemination of religious texts.
In the 17th century, Paelyn Cromwell (1599-1668), a member of the influential Cromwell family and a cousin of Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland, gained recognition as a skilled military commander and statesman.
Another notable bearer of the name was Paelyn Shelley (1792-1822), a celebrated English Romantic poet. His works, such as "Ozymandias" and "Ode to the West Wind," are regarded as literary masterpieces and have had a profound influence on subsequent generations of poets and writers.
While the name Paelyn has remained relatively rare throughout history, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, military leaders, philosophers, theologians, and literary figures. Despite its origins in the Anglo-Saxon period, the name has endured and continues to be used, although sparingly, in modern times.
People
Paelyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Paelyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Paelyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Paelyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 72 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Paelyn 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 4,760,477 US residents.
Is Paelyn a common name?
We classify Paelyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 73 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Paelyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Paelyn was 2009, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Paelyn is about 14 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 Paelyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Paelyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Paelyn 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 Paelyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Paelyn 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 Paelyn 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 Paelyn as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Paelyn, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.