Dylan is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Dylan means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Dylan across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Dylan has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Dylan is a boy name of Welsh origin meaning “son of the sea”. a figure in Welsh legend.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 434,951 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 60,754 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 8,147 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 3,289 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 12,792 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 6,744 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Dylan per year, United States (1953 to 2025). United States peaked in 2001 (16,696/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2008 (3,391/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2001 (538/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2001 (451/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2004 (200/yr).
Dylan has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 2001, when it ranked #25 nationally (given to 20,492 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 2000s.
Dillon · Delaney · Talan · Delano · Dillan · Dilan · Dylon · Dallin
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