MEANING & HISTORY
What does Dylan mean?
Dylan is a Welsh name borne by a figure in the Mabinogi whose story connects him closely with the sea. Its traditional analysis is often expressed as great tide or son of the sea, but the precise element-by-element interpretation varies.
The mythological sea association is secure. Dylan and the surname-derived Dillon have different histories despite their similar sound and occasional treatment as spelling alternatives.
References for this explanation
Pronunciation & syllables
Dictionary readings are kept by language. Select the reading that matches your intended pronunciation. Dots show the source’s written divisions; they are not a universal syllable count across languages.
Wiktionary contributors / Kaikki / Wiktextract · CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin and name formation
Language-specific accounts from the dictionary. A shared spelling can have more than one history.
EnglishEtymology & source
From Welsh mythology; possibly from Celtic for "son of the sea" or "born from the ocean." Unrelated to the name Dillon, although the homophony may result in the two being considered variant spellings of the same name.
A male given name from Welsh.; A female given name.
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract. Source accounts remain in their original English; editorial summaries and filters are adapted. Attribution and downloads
People with the name Dylan
Public figures and other documented namesakes linked by an explicit given-name claim. This is a selection of records, not a popularity ranking.
DOCUMENTED NAMESAKE
Dylan Ababou
Filipino basketball player (born 1986)
DOCUMENTED NAMESAKE
Dylan Demuynck
Filipino footballer
The record establishes the name association, not the person’s intended meaning, pronunciation or ancestry. Descriptions are attributed to Wikidata contributors (CC0).
Use in Philippine-linked records
Wikidata
2
distinct person records with an explicit given-name claim
Community-edited coverage, not a census or birth registry. Examples: Dylan Ababou, Dylan Demuynck
PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Dylan in the birth records
Exact spelling and stated year in the published name tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Tables included: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The 2016 fact sheet lists five names per sex; the later tables include ten. Missing counts are not inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Similar names to Dylan
Names with a similar opening or ending, ordered by spelling distance. Similar spelling does not imply the same meaning or origin.
Names in this collection
- Dyan♀Variant of Diane, in the Diana family
- Alan♂The medieval Breton name Alan
- Allan♂Variant of the old Breton name Alan
- Arlan·Male dog or predator in the Kazakh route
- Bulan·Moon; month
- Elan·Hebrew Elon variant: oak tree
- Lan·Orchid or mountain mist in specified Asian forms; also shortened Milan
- Milan♂♀Dear or gracious in Slavic naming; also an Italian city
What rhymes with Dylan?
No dictionary-confirmed rhyme match is available for this spelling in the current catalogue.
Names with a similar written ending
Spelling suggestions; these are not verified phonetic rhymes.
Explore Dylan further
Follow the sources
- Wikidata given-name item Q1814575 — Dylan (opens in a new tab)
Given-name identity, native labels, language associations and explicit class where present; not lexical meaning or population frequency.
- Wikidata — Dylan Ababou (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q1814575 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wikidata — Dylan Demuynck (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q1814575 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wiktionary contributors — Dylan (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Wiktionary: Dylan (opens in a new tab)
Name formation and linguistic history; consulted existing imported etymology.