Boy · #28 in 2026

Dylan

Name: Popularity of the name Dylan in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Dylan, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Dylan is a given name and surname of Welsh origin. It means "son of the sea", "born from the ocean", or "great tide". It is derived from the Welsh words "dy," meaning "great," and "llanw," meaning "tide" or "sea".

Current Rank

#28

Peak Rank

#19 (2001)

Total Babies

427K

5-Yr Trend

-8%

1967

First Year

2026

Last Year

2017

Peak Year

#354

Peak Rank

17K

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Dylan

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Dylan

Dylan first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1953, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2001, when 16,497 Dylans were born — ranking #21 that year. As of 2026, Dylan ranks #28 for baby boys with 7,452 births, gradually falling (-8%). In total, more than 427K Dylans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Dylan

Phonetically similar names — useful when Dylan is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dylan

What does the name Dylan mean?

How popular is Dylan in 2026?

In 2026, Dylan ranks #28 among boys' names in the U.S., with 7,452 babies given the name that year.

When was Dylan most popular?

Dylan reached its peak popularity in 2001, ranking #19 that year with 16,497 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Dylan most popular?

Dylan has historically been most popular in Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Hawaii. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Dylan.

Is Dylan a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Dylan is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Dylan?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Dylan include Stephen, Gerald, Billy. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Dylan

Dylan is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1953 and has accumulated 427K births in the dataset. Dylan's peak popularity came in 2001 when it ranked #19. Use the chart and map above to compare Dylan's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.