The dictionary connects the name to a Celtic word for sea and identifies early Welsh use. This is a word association, not a settled literal compound translation such as man-from-the-sea or son-of-the-sea. Alternative same-spelling histories remain separate.
Origin
Welsh use with a Celtic sea-word connection.
The scholarly entry identifies Celtic origin and initial use in Wales. The existing conditional Dilan relationship and English reading remain unchanged.
English pronunciation
/ˈdɪlən/
Directly recorded English pronunciation of the exact given-name spelling. The exact English entry documents given-name use; its uncertain etymological alternatives are not adjudicated in this pronunciation fact. The plain-text guide is approximate; a bearer’s preferred reading can differ. No audio reused.
Recorded English reading, as published. Accents and preferred pronunciations can differ.
Published name usage
Counts apply only to the exact spelling, place, year and recorded usage shown. Places are separate; these figures are never added into a worldwide total. Missing or suppressed records never mean zero.
Latest published record available for this spelling in each place and recorded usage
Place
Year
Recorded usage
Published births
Rank
Notes
Canada
2025
Girls
20 · preliminary
1265
2025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Canada
2025
Boys
259 · preliminary
118
2025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
France
2020
Girls
5 (rounded to 5)
5747
Counts are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Ranks use unrounded publisher counts with randomly ordered ties; equally rounded counts can have different ranks. National coverage excludes Mayotte before 2012. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Automated direction labels are withheld for this rounded-count series. Rank basis: source published.
France
2025
Boys
170 (rounded to 5)
310
Counts are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Ranks use unrounded publisher counts with randomly ordered ties; equally rounded counts can have different ranks. National coverage excludes Mayotte before 2012. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Automated direction labels are withheld for this rounded-count series. Rank basis: source published.
England & Wales
2025
Girls
14
2006
Published ranks differ from ranks calculated over visible rows. Counts retained; automated trend labels withheld. Rank basis: source published.
England & Wales
2025
Boys
717
72
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Northern Ireland
2025
Boys
16
143
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Scotland
2025
Girls
4
632
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Scotland
2025
Boys
46
110
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Ireland
2003
Girls
3
655
Names below three occurrences are unpublished. Accent recording changed in 2018; comparisons across that boundary may not describe the same spelling coverage. Counts refer to registrations in the year. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Ireland
2025
Boys
84
69
Names below three occurrences are unpublished. Accent recording changed in 2018; comparisons across that boundary may not describe the same spelling coverage. Counts refer to registrations in the year. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
United States
2025
Girls
338
807
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.
United States
2025
Boys
6,208
41
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.
Canada, Ireland and France coverage includes confidently matched existing profiles only; unmatched spellings are awaiting review. French counts are rounded to five.
Sources & notes
Open an entry for its source, credit, licence and full qualifications. Different name traditions remain separate.
Language of use: English
Checked against cited source
The exact English entry explicitly documents given-name use. This is separate from linguistic origin, nationality, ancestry or religious identity. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Meaning: Sea-word association in the Welsh name tradition.
Checked against cited source
The dictionary connects the name to a Celtic word for sea and identifies early Welsh use. This is a word association, not a settled literal compound translation such as man-from-the-sea or son-of-the-sea. Alternative same-spelling histories remain separate. Credit: Eva Brylla and Katharina Leibring, Förnamn i Sverige – kortfattat namnlexikon, second edition (Institutet för språk och folkminnen, 2026), printed page 118. Original factual summary by Rare Baby Names; copyright remains with Charlotta Seiler Brylla, Katharina Leibring and Isof. No source prose, image or audio reproduced.
Origin: Welsh use with a Celtic sea-word connection.
Checked against cited source
The scholarly entry identifies Celtic origin and initial use in Wales. The existing conditional Dilan relationship and English reading remain unchanged. Credit: Eva Brylla and Katharina Leibring, Förnamn i Sverige – kortfattat namnlexikon, second edition (Institutet för språk och folkminnen, 2026), printed page 118. Original factual summary by Rare Baby Names; copyright remains with Charlotta Seiler Brylla, Katharina Leibring and Isof. No source prose, image or audio reproduced.
Directly recorded English pronunciation of the exact given-name spelling. The exact English entry documents given-name use; its uncertain etymological alternatives are not adjudicated in this pronunciation fact. The plain-text guide is approximate; a bearer’s preferred reading can differ. No audio reused. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
The scholarly explanation supports a sea-word association, without selecting the stronger licensed man-from-the-sea gloss. Credit: Eva Brylla and Katharina Leibring, Förnamn i Sverige – kortfattat namnlexikon, second edition (Institutet för språk och folkminnen, 2026), printed page 118. Original factual summary by Rare Baby Names; copyright remains with Charlotta Seiler Brylla, Katharina Leibring and Isof. No source prose, image or audio reproduced.
Vowel-phoneme count for the cited reading only; no universal syllable count or source-language transfer asserted. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Spelling variant: Dilan
Checked against cited source
English given-name relationship. These spellings remain separate in popularity statistics.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.
Credit: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.
License: Statistics Canada Open Licence
Adaptation: Adapted from Statistics Canada, First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators, Table 17-10-0147-01, reference years 1991–2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.
Credit: Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.
License: CC BY 4.0
Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: joined the published count and rank indicators and matched unambiguous existing spellings. Source values retained.
Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.
Credit: Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.
License: Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab)
Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: column names and sex codes mapped and unique case-only spellings matched to existing profiles. Published rounded counts and ranks retained.