Wyn
A Welsh diminutive form of Gwyndaf, meaning joyous or blessed.
Name Census estimates that about 162 living Americans carry the first name Wyn. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 84.1% of registrations being male. The average person named Wyn today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wyn births was 2022 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wyn. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Wyn with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
162
~ 1 in 2,115,768 Americans
Peak year
2022
18 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,255
Tracked since 1944
Census
Wyn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 365 people with the first name Wyn, which placed it at #25,801 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
#25,801
National first-name rank
People counted
365
365 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
77.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wyn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wyn is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.5%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Wyn 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 Wyn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.8% · 284
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.5% · 31
- Two or more races5.2% · 19
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 17
- Black or African American3.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 2
Gender
Gender distribution for Wyn
Wyn leans heavily male at 84.1% of total registrations, but 28 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Wyn as a male name
- Ranked #8,255 in 2024
- 10 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (18 births)
Wyn as a female name
- Ranked #17,528 in 2021
- 5 female births in 2021
- Peak: 1959 (6 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Wyn on both sides of the split. Of the 356 people counted with this name, 206 were male (57.9%) and 150 were female (42.1%).
Popularity
Wyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wyn from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 60 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
Wyn 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 Wyn 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 Wyn
The given name Wyn has its origins in the Welsh language and culture. It is derived from the Welsh word "gwyn," which means "white" or "fair." The name likely emerged in the early medieval period, around the 5th to 7th centuries, as the Welsh language developed and became more widely used in what is now Wales.
Wyn was a popular name among the ancient Welsh, particularly in the regions of Gwynedd and Powys. It was often given to children born with fair hair or complexions, reflecting the name's meaning. In some instances, the name may have also been associated with purity or innocence, as the color white symbolized these qualities in Welsh mythology and folklore.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wyn dates back to the 6th century. According to historical records, a Welsh prince named Wyn ap Cadwallon ruled over the kingdom of Gwynedd during this time. He was known for his bravery in battle and his unwavering leadership.
Throughout the Middle Ages, several notable figures in Welsh history bore the name Wyn. One such individual was Wyn ab Owain Glyndwr (c. 1349-1416), a Welsh nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the Welsh Revolt against English rule in the early 15th century.
Another prominent figure was Wyn ap Rhys (c. 1230-1292), a Welsh prince and Lord of Ystrad Tywi. He was renowned for his diplomatic skills and his efforts to maintain peace between the Welsh and English kingdoms during a time of great political tension.
In the 16th century, Wyn ap Ieuan (c. 1520-1585) was a respected Welsh poet and scholar. His works were instrumental in preserving and promoting the Welsh language and literature during the Renaissance period.
Lastly, Wyn Llewelyn (1868-1945) was a Welsh author and playwright who gained recognition for his novels and plays that explored Welsh culture and society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While the name Wyn has its roots in Welsh culture and language, it has also been adopted and used in other parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries. However, its historical significance and connection to Welsh heritage remain an integral part of its meaning and legacy.
People
Wyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Wyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 162 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wyn 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 2,115,768 US residents.
Is Wyn a common name?
We classify Wyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 176 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Wyn was 2022, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wyn is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Wyn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 365 people with the name Wyn, or 0.12 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #25,801 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 Wyn 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 Wyn?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Wyn on both sides of the split. Of the 356 people counted with this name, 206 were male (57.9%) and 150 were female (42.1%). 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 Wyn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wyn is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.5%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Wyn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Wyn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.8% (284 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 Wyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wyn a male name?
Yes, 84.1% of people registered as Wyn 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 Wyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wyn 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 Wyn 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 people have Wyn as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.