Shilyn
A feminine name of Celtic origin meaning "high-spirited" or "willful".
Name Census estimates that about 57 living Americans carry the first name Shilyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Shilyn today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shilyn births was 2002 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shilyn. 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 Shilyn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
57
~ 1 in 6,013,234 Americans
Peak year
2002
8 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2009 SSA rank
#15,009
Tracked since 1988
Popularity
Shilyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shilyn from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 40 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
Shilyn 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 Shilyn 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 Shilyn
The name Shilyn is a relatively modern invention, originating in the late 20th century. It does not appear to have any direct linguistic or cultural roots, but rather seems to be a creative combination of existing name elements. The "Shil" portion may be derived from the Hebrew name Sheila, meaning "gift from God," while the "lyn" ending is a common suffix in English names like Carolyn or Gwendolyn.
Despite its recent origin, the name Shilyn has gained some popularity, particularly in certain regions of North America. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was Shilyn Garrett, an American singer and songwriter born in 1983. She released several albums in the early 2000s, though her music career was relatively short-lived.
Another notable bearer of the name was Shilyn Gorum (1978-2002), an American basketball player who played for the University of Mississippi in the late 1990s. Tragically, her life was cut short in a car accident at the age of 24.
In the field of literature, there is Shilyn Stevenson (born 1985), a Canadian author and poet who has published several collections of poetry and short stories. Her works often explore themes of identity, spirituality, and the human experience.
Turning to the world of business, Shilyn Ramirez (born 1972) is a successful entrepreneur and CEO of a technology company based in Silicon Valley. She has been recognized for her innovative leadership and contributions to the tech industry.
Finally, in the realm of politics, Shilyn Wilson (born 1965) is a former mayor and city council member in a small town in the Midwest United States. During her tenure, she was known for her dedication to community development and environmental initiatives.
While the name Shilyn may be relatively new, these individuals have helped to establish it as a unique and recognizable name in various fields and regions. As time passes, it will be interesting to see how the popularity and usage of this name evolve.
People
Shilyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shilyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Shilyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shilyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 57 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shilyn 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 6,013,234 US residents.
Is Shilyn a common name?
We classify Shilyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 56.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 58 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shilyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Shilyn was 2002, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shilyn is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Shilyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shilyn 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.
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.