Gender: Mostly Boy
Meaning: Son of the sea; great tide
Origin: Welsh — from Dylan (דילן): dy (great) + llanw (tide, sea)
Popularity: Ranked #28 in 2024 with 7,464 babies born.
History: Dylan is a figure from Welsh mythology — Dylan ail Don, a sea deity who could swim as swiftly as fish. The name was little used outside Wales until Bob Dylan burst onto the American music scene in the 1960s, born Robert Zimmerman, who chose Dylan as his stage name in tribute to poet Dylan Thomas. The combination of rock legend and literary giant made the name irresistible to a generation of parents. It entered the U.S. top 25 in the 1990s and has remained there, carrying creativity, rebellion, and poetic soul.
Famous people named Dylan: Bob Dylan (musician), Dylan O'Brien (actor), Dylan Thomas (poet)
Name length: 5 letters
How common is Dylan? About 1 in 423 babies born in 2024 were named Dylan, or roughly 21.6 per day in the United States.
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