boy's name
Dylan
DIL-un
- Origin Welsh
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 626,716
the United States
#41
2025 births
Dylan is a boy's name of Welsh origin meaning "great tide" or "sea," from the elements dy and llanw. It belongs to a sea god in the Mabinogi, the collection of medieval Welsh tales, who takes to the water immediately after being born.
- Dylan is a name of Welsh origin.
- Peaked in 2001, when 16,696 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 506 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1953.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Dylan over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1950s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 97 |
| 1960s | 698 |
| 1970s | 4,112 |
| 1980s | 14,471 |
| 1990s | 123,713 |
| 2000s | 144,295 |
| 2010s | 103,552 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 44,013 |
What Dylan means
Dylan means great tide or great flow, from Welsh elements combining an intensifier with a word for tide or sea. The mythological figure reinforces the meaning: Dylan ail Don is a sea deity whose name and nature match.
Where Dylan comes from
Dylan comes from the Welsh dy, an intensifying prefix, and llanw, meaning tide or flow. In the fourth branch of the Mabinogi, Dylan ail Don is born to Arianrhod and immediately makes for the sea, taking on its nature — a passage that ties the name firmly to water. The name saw little use outside Wales until the twentieth century, when the poet Dylan Thomas brought it to international attention; Bob Dylan, born Robert Zimmerman, adopted his stage name in the poet's honor, spreading it further still. Welsh pronunciation places the stress differently from the anglicized DIL-un now standard in English.
Dylan in use
Bob Dylan took his stage name from the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, who took his from a sea god.
How popular is Dylan?
In 2025, Dylan was given to 6,546 babies in the United States, ranking #41 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Dylan is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Dylan
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Dylan also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Dylan over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Dylan in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Dylan
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Dylan — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Dylan
What does the name Dylan mean?
Dylan means "great tide" or "sea," from Welsh elements meaning great and tide.
Is Dylan a Welsh name?
Yes. Dylan ail Don is a sea god in the Mabinogi, the medieval Welsh tales.
Is Dylan connected to Bob Dylan?
Bob Dylan adopted the name in honor of the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas.
How popular is the name Dylan?
In 2025, Dylan was given to 6,546 babies in the United States, ranking #41 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Dylan a girl's or a boy's name?
Dylan is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Dylan?
Dylan has 2 syllables.
When was Dylan most popular?
Dylan peaked in 2001, when 16,696 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Dylan a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Dylan currently ranks #41 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.