Paylin
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from "payel" meaning flower in Bengali.
Name Census estimates that about 137 living Americans carry the first name Paylin. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Paylin today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Paylin births was 2011 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Paylin. 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
137
~ 1 in 2,501,856 Americans
Peak year
2011
25 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2022 SSA rank
#13,236
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Paylin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Paylin 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 99 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Paylin 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 Paylin 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 Paylin
The name Paylin originated from the ancient Indo-European language family, specifically from the Proto-Indo-Iranian branch. It is believed to have been derived from the word "pailina," which meant "protector" or "guardian" in the Proto-Indo-Iranian language. This name can be traced back to the 2nd millennium BCE, during the time when the Indo-Iranian people inhabited parts of Central Asia and the Iranian Plateau.
The earliest known use of the name Paylin was found in ancient Sumerian cuneiform tablets from around 2000 BCE. These tablets recorded the names of individuals who were involved in various trade and economic activities in the region. It is possible that the name was brought to Mesopotamia by the Indo-Iranian people who had migrated to the area during that time.
In the 6th century BCE, the name Paylin was mentioned in the Avestan sacred texts of Zoroastrianism. These texts, which were written in the Avestan language (an ancient Iranian language closely related to Sanskrit), referred to Paylin as a guardian spirit or a protector of the faith. This connection to Zoroastrian beliefs may have contributed to the name's popularity among Persian and other Iranian communities.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Paylin was a Persian warrior who lived during the reign of Darius the Great in the 5th century BCE. This Paylin was known for his bravery and loyalty to the Persian Empire, and his name was inscribed on the famous Behistun Rock, which documented the victories of Darius.
Another notable Paylin was a Persian scholar and astronomer who lived in the 9th century CE. He was known for his contributions to the field of astronomy and his work on the translation of ancient Greek texts into Persian.
In the 12th century, a Paylin was recorded as being a prominent Islamic scholar and poet from the city of Nishapur in modern-day Iran. His poetry and writings on Islamic theology were widely respected during his time.
During the medieval period, the name Paylin was also found among the Turkic peoples of Central Asia. One example was Paylin Bey, a military commander who served under the Seljuk Empire in the 11th century CE. He was renowned for his strategic skills and led several successful campaigns against rival forces.
In the 16th century, a Paylin was documented as being a skilled calligrapher and artist in the court of the Mughal Empire in India. His intricate calligraphic works and miniature paintings were highly prized by the Mughal rulers and nobility.
People
Paylin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Paylin 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
Paylin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Paylin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 137 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Paylin 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 2,501,856 US residents.
Is Paylin a common name?
We classify Paylin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 138 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Paylin most popular?
The single biggest year for Paylin was 2011, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Paylin 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 Paylin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Paylin a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Paylin 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 Paylin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Paylin 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 Paylin 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 Paylin?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Paylin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.