boys' name ★ peaked 2001

Dylan

Meaning Dylan is a given name and surname of Welsh origin Gender Boy · 4% girls Rank 2025 #41 Trend → Stable

Dylan is a given name and surname of Welsh origin.

Rank 2025
#41
among boys · ↓13 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
6,546
named Dylan · -17% vs 2024
How common
1 in 275
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2001
16,696 babies
All-time total
434,951
#81 all-time among boys
First recorded
1953
in Social Security records

Dylan popularity over time

434,951 babies have been named Dylan since 1953, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
2.557.51018801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – 97 97 10 – #1,447
1960s 14 684 698 70 +620% #514
1970s 76 4,036 4,112 411 +489% #305
1980s 300 14,171 14,471 1,447 +252% #115
1990s 1,639 122,074 123,713 12,371 +755% #23
2000s 4,170 140,125 144,295 14,430 +17% #19
2010s 7,198 96,354 103,552 10,355 -28% #27
2020s (to 2025) 2,875 41,138 44,013 7,336 -29% #28

Where Dylan is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 6,109 3.58 #44
2027 6,027 3.53 #45
2028 5,957 3.49 #47
2029 5,899 3.45 #48
2030 5,850 3.42 #50

Where Dylan is most popular

Boys named Dylan per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 3.97 per 1,000. Strongest in District of Columbia, Maryland, and New Jersey.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Dylan born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
District of Columbia 128 8.67 +118%
Maryland 937 7.86 +98%
New Jersey 1,482 7.36 +85%
Florida 3,440 7.27 +83%
Delaware 107 7.06 +78%
Rhode Island 103 6.32 +59%
New York 2,675 6.18 +56%
Connecticut 391 5.78 +46%
California 5,142 5.63 +42%
Massachusetts 746 5.43 +37%
Texas 4,631 5.26 +32%
Virginia 976 5.14 +30%
Nevada 278 4.88 +23%
Nebraska 209 4.81 +21%
New Mexico 148 4.49 +13%
Illinois 1,125 4.40 +11%
Georgia 1,110 4.38 +10%
Tennessee 753 4.17 +5%
Alabama 430 3.93 ≈ national
Colorado 506 3.92 ≈ national
Louisiana 394 3.85 ≈ national
North Carolina 960 3.76 -5%
Washington 602 3.68 -7%
Arizona 602 3.68 -7%
Kentucky 366 3.65 -8%
Pennsylvania 952 3.59 -10%
South Carolina 370 3.58 -10%
Mississippi 198 3.49 -12%
Arkansas 209 3.30 -17%
Kansas 223 3.25 -18%
New Hampshire 72 3.24 -18%
Oregon 240 3.16 -20%
Iowa 218 3.16 -20%
Hawaii 49 3.16 -21%
Indiana 486 3.03 -24%
Oklahoma 257 2.91 -27%
South Dakota 54 2.90 -27%
Minnesota 350 2.85 -28%
Wisconsin 327 2.76 -30%
Ohio 686 2.59 -35%
Michigan 520 2.54 -36%
North Dakota 41 2.40 -39%
Utah 221 2.32 -42%
Missouri 309 2.23 -44%
Idaho 85 2.08 -48%
Alaska 22 1.85 -53%
Maine 30 1.55 -61%
Montana 25 1.42 -64%
West Virginia 46 1.41 -65%
Wyoming 6 1.04 -74%
Vermont – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Dylan

Dylan is a top-50 name for boys in the United States, ranked #41 in 2025 with 6,208 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1953, 434,951 American babies have been named Dylan. Its peak came in 2001, when 16,696 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Dylan stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Dylan?

The median living Dylan is about 21 years old; half are between 12 and 28. An estimated 428 thousand people named Dylan are alive in the United States today.

median 21 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Dylan year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 338 #808 6,208 #41
2024 409 #694 7,487 #28
2023 451 #651 7,074 #34
2022 525 #572 6,745 #42
2021 536 #567 6,767 #44
2020 616 #497 6,857 #42
2019 729 #436 7,555 #39
2018 776 #398 8,610 #31
2017 894 #354 9,315 #29
2016 842 #394 9,720 #32
2015 815 #399 10,298 #27
2014 828 #394 10,416 #29
2013 613 #490 10,127 #29
2012 595 #512 10,001 #31
2011 598 #496 9,792 #33
2010 508 #576 10,520 #31
2009 546 #559 11,373 #30
2008 581 #527 11,710 #31
2007 420 #693 12,811 #29
2006 380 #735 13,171 #26
2005 468 #608 13,782 #24
2004 620 #475 14,852 #19
2003 572 #502 15,703 #19
2002 256 #883 14,821 #23
2001 199 #1,068 16,497 #21
2000 128 #1,436 15,405 #24
1995 174 #1,040 12,091 #34
1990 77 #1,850 4,414 #83
1985 23 #3,648 1,331 #188
1980 16 #4,573 822 #265
1975 8 #6,671 454 #366
1970 9 #5,504 314 #457
1965 – – 47 #1,084
1960 – – 39 #1,257
1955 – – 12 #2,336
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Dylan

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Dylan O'Brien Dylan O'Brien American actor (born 1991) Contemporary
  2. 2 Dylan Sprouse Dylan Sprouse American actor (born 1992) Contemporary
  3. 3 Dylan McDermott Dylan McDermott American actor (born 1961) Contemporary
  4. 4 Dylan Walsh Dylan Walsh American actor (born 1963) Contemporary
  5. 5 Dylan Thomas Dylan Thomas Welsh poet and writer (1914–1953) Contemporary
  6. 6 Dylan Minnette Dylan Minnette American actor and musician (born 1996) Contemporary
  7. 7 Dylan Baker Dylan Baker American actor (born 1959) Contemporary
  8. 8 Dylan Larkin Dylan Larkin American ice hockey player (born 1996) Contemporary
  9. 9 Dylan Moran Dylan Moran Irish actor and comedian (born 1971) Contemporary
  10. 10 Dylan Neal Dylan Neal Canadian actor (born 1969) Contemporary
  11. 11 Dylan Sprayberry Dylan Sprayberry American actor (born 1998) Contemporary
  12. 12 Dylan Tombides Dylan Tombides Australian football player (1994–2014) Contemporary
  13. 13 Dylan Bruno American actor (born 1972) Contemporary
  14. 14 Dylan Ryder Dylan Ryder American pornographic actress (born 1981) Contemporary
  15. 15 Dylan van Baarle Dylan van Baarle Dutch cyclist (born 1992) Contemporary
  16. 16 Dylan McGowan Dylan McGowan Australian soccer player (born 1991) Contemporary
  17. 17 Dylan Borlée Dylan Borlée Belgian sprinter (born 1992) Contemporary
  18. 18 Dylan Armstrong Dylan Armstrong Canadian shot putter (born 1981) Contemporary
  19. 19 Dylan Teuns Dylan Teuns Belgian cyclist (born 1992) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Dylan, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Dylan?

The median living Dylan is about 21 years old. Half of all living Dylans are between 12 and 28 years old.

How many people named Dylan are alive today?

An estimated 428 thousand people named Dylan are alive in the United States, based on 434,951 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Dylan mean?

Dylan is a given name and surname of Welsh origin.

How popular is the name Dylan in 2025?

Dylan ranked #41 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 6,208 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Dylan?

434,951 babies have been named Dylan in the United States since 1953, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Dylan most popular?

Dylan peaked in 2001, when 16,696 newborns received the name.

Is Dylan a boy or girl name?

Dylan is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 96% of babies with the name.

Is the name Dylan rising or falling?

Dylan is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Dylan become more popular?

Dylan looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 5,850 boys named Dylan in 2030, ranking around #50. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Dylan?

Well-known people named Dylan include Dylan O'Brien (actor), Dylan Sprouse (actor), Dylan McDermott (actor).

Names like Dylan

Names that sound and feel close to Dylan: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Dylan with similar names → More names starting with D →