Dylan
Meaning
"son of the wave" by tradition, the sea-spirit of Welsh myth born gleaming from the tide; the poet Dylan Thomas carried it out of Wales, and America made it a modern standard. Lyrical origins, everyday ease
The story
Dylan entered Welsh legend through the sea. In the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, the newborn Dylan ail Don makes for the water as soon as he is baptized and swims as naturally as a fish. His name is usually built from Welsh elements meaning toward and tide or flow. Centuries later, poet Dylan Thomas carried it beyond Wales in a voice famous for rhythm, darkness, and delight in language. Robert Zimmerman then chose Bob Dylan as his stage name, creating an extraordinary chain: a mythic child of the waves gave his name to a Welsh poet, whose surname helped name an American songwriter. The chain can be told without pretending the three figures are the same story. Dylan remains Welsh at its root, and its sea image belongs to the old tale, not to every person. What travels forward is a sense of motion, language, and a name continually meeting a wider shore.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Dylan peaked in the 2000s and the 2010s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
2,877 people · the #4,007 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 71,429 · median age 5
Among people named Dylan living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 1,234 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Dylan
Most people given the name Dylan in the United States are teenagers or young adults today.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Dylan deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Dylan truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Dylan fits with your family’s names and surname.
Where Dylan travels
Welsh Patagonian · 'toward the tide' (dy + llanw); the sea spirit of Welsh myth, the one Welsh name the whole world already says, the easiest door into the tradition
Global crossover · son of the sea, great tide; a US top-25 name for years and, boosted by music and film, also popular in France and the UK
Keep exploring
Names like Dylan · Welsh Patagonian baby names · Global crossover names · Names of music legends
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