Total births
418,679
Boys' name · since 1953
Dylan
418,679 babies named Dylan in U.S. Social Security records since 1953, with the highest year being 2001. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #28
- among boys today
- 418,679
- born since 1953
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 99.8%
- more common than other boys
418,679 babies have been named Dylan since 1953, making it today's #28 boys' name.
Dylan has 418,679 recorded births among boys since 1953, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #28 as of the latest data, more common than 99.8% of boys, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1953 to 2025.
- #28 among boys today
- 418,679 born since 1953
- 2000s peak decade
- 99.8% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Dylan is currently the #28 boys' name in America, more common than 99.8% of boys - 418,679 born since 1953, peaking in the 2000s.
- #28
- among boys today
- 418,679
- born since 1953
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 99.8%
- more common than other boys
Dylan vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#28
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 99.8% of names given to boys today.
2000s
Peak decade
33% of everyone ever named Dylan was born in this single decade.
2001
Single peak year
16,497 babies were named Dylan in 2001 - its busiest year on record.
How Dylan compares
418,679 Top 1% higher than 99% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Dylan's all-time total is 1,141x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Dylan | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 418,679 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 16,497 | 23 | 22,252 |
Dylan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Dylan's SSA record in two at 1989 and the more recent half accounts for 96% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 4%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1953, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2001 peak of 16,497, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Dylan at a glance
Top 100 boys' namePeak year
2001
Current rank
#28
Active since
1953
Dylan popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1953–2025
- Peak year (2001)
- 16,497
- Annual births at peak, across 73 years of records
Dylan popularity over time - girls
16,272 total births recorded since 1967 (Dylan as girls' name)
Dylan by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Dylan's strongest decade.
140,125 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.
Dylan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 97
1950s
97 births
- 1960s 684
1960s
684 births
- 1970s 4,036
1970s
4,036 births
- 1980s 14,171
1980s
14,171 births
- 1990s
1990s
122,074 births
- 2000s
2000s
140,125 births
- 2010s
2010s
96,354 births
- 2020s 41,138
2020s
41,138 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 140,125 births (33% of all-time use).
How Dylan compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Dylan's total volume
Dylan vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Dylan by state
Where Dylan concentrates geographically, total births since 1953
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 51,954 | 12.4% |
| #2 | Texas | | 35,547 | 8.5% |
| #3 | New York | | 29,421 | 7.0% |
| #4 | Florida | | 25,906 | 6.2% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 17,380 | 4.2% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 15,647 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 15,434 | 3.7% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 13,378 | 3.2% |
California share of Dylan's total US births 12.4%
Even split
51,954 of 418,679 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Dylan appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Dylan? ▼
418,679 babies have been named Dylan since 1953. It currently ranks #28 among boys. The peak year was 2001 with 16,497 births.
When was Dylan most popular? ▼
Dylan was most popular in the 2000s decade with 140,125 total births. The single peak year was 2001.
Where is Dylan most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Dylan are California (51,954 births), Texas (35,547 births), New York (29,421 births).
How long has the name Dylan been used? ▼
Dylan has been recorded in Social Security data since 1953, spanning 73 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Dylan? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Dylon, Dyllan, Dyllon, Dylen, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Dylan's data
- Dylan's decade-level peak was the 2000s (140,125 total births); usage has since declined to 41,138 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Dylans (51,954 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Dylan
Nearby Names Like Dylan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dylan
Dylon Boy
#5117 4,517 births
Dyllan Boy
#6994 3,302 births
Dyllon Boy
1,267 births
Dylen Boy
#8589 1,038 births
Dyland Boy
#4376 969 births
Compare Dylan side by side: Dylan vs Dylon Dylan vs Dyllan Dylan vs Dyllon
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Dylan
Alexander #27
736,123 births · Peak 1993
Santiago #29
103,828 births · Peak 2025
Owen #26
245,644 births · Peak 2016
Julian #30
264,985 births · Peak 2017
Elias #25
129,263 births · Peak 2025
David #31
3,676,654 births · Peak 1955
Leo #24
259,988 births · Peak 2022
Joseph #32
2,669,490 births · Peak 1956
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1953–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Dylan: #28 Boys' Name - 418,679 Births, Peak 2001." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/dylan. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Dylan draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.