Alyn
Primarily a girl's name with 470 recorded births. Also given to 315 boys.
Meaning & Origin
A river in Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham borough county borough, Wales, which joins the River Dee on the border with England; in full, the River Alyn.
Alyn is a girl's or boy's baby name of Welsh origin, derived from the River Alyn in north Wales, whose name may connect to the Celtic root meaning 'rocky' or 'flowing.' It has been used as both a masculine and feminine given name in Wales and beyond.
Clean and one-syllable, Alyn has the quiet strength of a place name repurposed as a personal name — a trend that feels very much at home in modern naming.
EtymologyShow more
Though Alyn dates back to 1947 in U.S. records, its etymological path is not always straightforward. Names that predate modern naming databases sometimes resist easy classification — they may have been oral traditions, regional family names, or adaptations that were never systematically recorded.
With only 470 recorded births, Alyn has not been widely studied in naming literature — its story belongs primarily to the families who chose it.
At a Glance
Popularity Over Time
Alyn was #6509 twenty years ago and has since drifted to #13532, but its charm endures.
Popularity by Decade
| Decade | Births | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 39 | ▼ |
| 2010s | 117 | ▼ |
| 2000s | 191 | ▲ |
| 1990s | 57 | ▲ |
| 1980s | 24 | ▲ |
| 1970s | 14 | ▲ |
| 1960s | 5 | ▼ |
| 1950s | 18 | ▲ |
| 1940s | 5 | — |
The Story of Alyn
A Gen Z name
Peaking in 2005, Alyn is a name that defines a generation. Girls named Alyn are most likely born between 1995 and 2015.
How rare is Alyn?
Only about 1 in every 600,000 babies born in 2024 was named Alyn — a truly uncommon choice.
The journey through the decades
First appeared in the records in 1947, gained momentum through the mid-century, peaked in the 2000s with 191 births that decade, and has gracefully settled into a quieter chapter.
Alyn by the numbers
- Would fill 10 school buses
- Meeting one Alyn per day would take 1.3 years
Year-by-Year Data
View complete yearly data(43 years, 1947–2024)
| Year | Births | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 6 | #13532 |
| 2022 | 17 | #6724 |
| 2021 | 10 | #9610 |
| 2020 | 6 | #13528 |
| 2019 | 10 | #9773 |
| 2018 | 11 | #9186 |
| 2017 | 5 | #16052 |
| 2016 | 9 | #10924 |
| 2015 | 18 | #6735 |
| 2014 | 9 | #11028 |
| 2013 | 8 | #12055 |
| 2012 | 14 | #8231 |
| 2011 | 14 | #8225 |
| 2010 | 19 | #6665 |
| 2009 | 22 | #6106 |
| 2008 | 21 | #6364 |
| 2007 | 29 | #4954 |
| 2006 | 25 | #5392 |
| 2005 | 31 | #4378 |
| 2004 | 18 | #6509 |
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration. Showing years with 5+ recorded births.
Alyn as a Boy's Name
Alyn is a true unisex name. As a boy's name, it has 315 recorded births since 1928.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Alyn a boy's or girl's name?
When was Alyn most popular?
How popular is the name Alyn?
Can Alyn be used for both boys and girls?
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration, 1947–2024