Dylan

At a Glance: Name: Dylan – Meaning: son of the sea – Origin: Welsh – Gender: Boy – Pronunciation: DIL-un

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Dylan is a Welsh boy's name meaning "son of the sea," pronounced DIL-un. You may see it lumped in with Dillon since they sound alike, but the two names aren't actually related — Dylan stands on its own with its sea-tied Welsh meaning.

Meaning & Origin of Dylan

Meaning: Son of the sea.

Origin: Welsh.

A common claim: Dylan is popularly known to mean 'son of the sea' or 'great tide,' and is sometimes assumed to be the same name as Dillon. Actually: The 'son of the sea' sense does match the (hedged) documented meaning tied to the Welsh sea-figure Dylan ail Don, but Dylan is unrelated to Dillon despite the similar sound — a common mix-up worth correcting.

Source: Wiktionary.

How to Pronounce Dylan

Phonetic: DIL-un   IPA: /ˈdɪlən/

Popularity of Dylan

Dylan hit its peak in 2003 at #19, with 15,703 babies given the name that year; by 2024 it had settled to #28, with 7,464 babies, according to Social Security data spanning 1953 to 2024.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1953–2024.

Make Dylan Name Art

Free printable nursery art for Dylan, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.

Names With a Similar Story

Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.

• Merrick
• Dilan
• Aeron
• Eira
• Eleri
• Emlyn

FAQ

What does the name Dylan mean?

Son of the sea. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Dylan)

How do you pronounce Dylan?

Dylan is pronounced DIL-un (IPA: /ˈdɪlən/).

Is Dylan a popular name right now?

Dylan peaked at #19 in 2003 and is ranked #28 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1953–2024.)

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