ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1967 First Year 2026 Last Year 2017 Peak Year #354 Peak Rank 17K Total Count 59 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Dylan What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. 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". Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dylan%5F%28name%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dylan%5F%28name%29) [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Dylan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Dylan_Swansea.jpg/330px-Dylan_Swansea.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dylan%5F%28name%29) 📖 ## 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 ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL 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. * [Dillon](/dillon) * [Dilan](/dilan) * [Dhillon](/dhillon) * [Delon](/delon) * [Dellen](/dellen) * Delen * [Dolan](/dolan) * [Dalen](/dalen) * [Delaine](/delaine) * Doolan * [Dallen](/dallen) * [Dallon](/dallon) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Dylan What does the name Dylan mean? 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". 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. ## Similar Names [👧MaurinePeak #354](/maurine)[👧EllePeak #354](/elle)[👧AviannaPeak #354](/avianna)[👧PhilomenaPeak #355](/philomena)[👧MaciePeak #355](/macie)[👧VivianaPeak #353](/viviana)[👧AnitraPeak #355](/anitra)[👧LauriPeak #355](/lauri) ## 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 * [ Top names of 2001 → ](/year/2001) * [ Names of the 2000s → ](/decade/2000s) * [ Names starting with "D" → ](/letter/d) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.