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Boy name · Welsh

Dylan

Name meaning, origin and popularity

: tide, flow

Dylan is a boy's name that comes from Welsh and means "tide, flow". It is used in English and Welsh.

Meaning
Tide, flow
Origin
Welsh
Gender
Boy
Say it
DIL-an

Meaning and origin of Dylan

As a boy's name, Dylan comes from Welsh and means "tide, flow". It is used in English and Welsh.

Say it DIL-an. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.

Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names

Dylan on Nomezo lists

What our editors wrote about Dylan on 3 lists.

  • “Tide, flow; Welsh, a sea-loving hero of legend. Say DIL-an”

    From Cute boy names, cute nature names for boys

  • “From Welsh dy, toward, and llanw, tide; a sea figure of Welsh legend”

    From Ocean names, boy names that mean sea or ocean

  • “Welsh name linked to the sea”

    From Axolotl names, girl and boy axolotl names

How popular is Dylan?

US rank in 2025
#41
6,208 babies, 3,634 per million boys
Best rank
#19 in 2003
Most babies: 16,497 in 2001
Babies since 1953
At least 418,679
Years with under 5 are not listed
1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
Babies per million US boys, by decade (the 2020s so far, to 2025). Highest in the 2000s, at 7,020 per million.
Babies named Dylan per million US boys, by decade; highest in the 2000s
1880s0 per million
1890s0 per million
1900s0 per million
1910s0 per million
1920s0 per million
1930s0 per million
1940s0 per million
1950s5 per million
1960s36 per million
1970s244 per million
1980s768 per million
1990s6,267 per million
2000s7,020 per million
2010s5,124 per million
2020s3,970 per million
US rank by year
Year2016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Rank#32#29#31#39#42#44#42#34#28#41

Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.

Names spelled like Dylan

One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.

  • DeclanMeaning unknown, though likely begins with Old Irish dag, good (Irish Gaelic, boy)
  • DaanGod is my judge (Hebrew, boy)
  • DanHe judged (Hebrew, boy)
  • DeanFrom a surname meaning valley (Old English, boy)

Names with a similar meaning

  • JordanTo flow down (Hebrew, unisex)
  • UshioTide, written 潮 (Japanese, unisex)
  • YardenTo flow down; the Jordan River (Hebrew, unisex)

Middle names for Dylan

Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.

  • ClarkCleric, scribe (Old English, boy)
  • GeorgeFarmer, earth worker (Greek, boy)
  • JosiahYahweh supports (Hebrew, boy)
  • NathanHe gave (Hebrew, boy)
  • PierceRock (Greek, boy)
  • PorterGatekeeper (English, boy)
  • ShaneGod is gracious (Hebrew, boy)
  • WalkerCloth fuller (English, boy)

More boy names from Welsh

  • HowellEminent, conspicuous (Welsh, boy)
  • LloydGrey (Welsh, boy)
  • LynnLake (Welsh, unisex)
  • OwenAnglicized form of Owain, possibly from Latin Eugenius (Welsh, boy)
  • ReeseArdor, enthusiasm (Welsh, unisex)
  • RhysArdor, enthusiasm (Welsh, boy)
  • WynnFair, white, blessed (Welsh, unisex)
  • BedwyrWelsh form of Bedivere, a knight of King Arthur (Welsh, boy)
  • BerwynWhite head (Welsh, boy)
  • BleddynLittle wolf (Welsh, boy)

Dylan: common questions

What does the name Dylan mean?

Dylan comes from Welsh and means "tide, flow". Checked against Behind the Name.

Is Dylan a boy or girl name?

Dylan is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 338 girls and 6,208 boys in the US were named Dylan, according to Social Security Administration data.

Where does the name Dylan come from?

Dylan comes from Welsh and means "tide, flow". Today it is used in English and Welsh.

How do you pronounce Dylan?

Say DIL-an. Pronunciation can vary between languages and regions.

How popular is the name Dylan?

Dylan ranked #41 in the US in 2025, with 6,208 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

What names are similar to Dylan?

Names spelled like Dylan include Declan, Daan, Dan and Dean.

What middle names go with Dylan?

Middle names that flow well with Dylan include Clark, George, Josiah, Nathan and Pierce. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.