Holding steady, #6,143 for boys today.
Popularity of Wylan since 1997
Babies named Wylan per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 2009, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Wylan's real moment was 2020.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 24 |
| 2000s | 84 |
| 2010s | 133 |
| 2020s | 79 |
Meaning & origin
Wylan entered U.S. birth records in 1997, a late arrival among modern given names. Its peak year came in 2020, and as of 2025 it ranked 6,143 with an incidence of roughly 1 in 122,005 births. The name's trajectory has remained stable, neither surging nor fading rapidly. While Wylan does not appear among any top state lists, its similarity to the more established Waylon may have influenced its adoption. Its etymology is uncertain, likely a modern respelling or creative variant, placing it squarely in the category of contemporary coinages rather than ancient lineage.
Wylan first appeared in U.S. records in 1997, suggesting a modern coinage. It may be a respelling of Waylon, a name derived from an English surname meaning "land near the road" (from Old English weg 'way' + land). Alternatively, it could be a variation of Wyland, itself a variant of Wayland, an Old English name meaning "land by the road." Its rare but consistent use in the 21st century points to a fashionable invention.
“Wylan” around the world
Where Wylan lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
France
5
babies in 2024
Sources: INSEE (France).
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Wylie, Lan
Sibling names for Wylan
Names that share Wylan's style, for a brother or sister.
