Darlyn
Darlyn was the 4379th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 32 babies. Its best year was 1946, when it ranked 1629th; the most babies were born in 2021 (61). Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,324 places. More babies were named Darlyn in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Darlene) 20th-century coinage (darling + -lene) · American English, Old English
- Rank in 2025
- #4,379 girls, down 921 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 32girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 202161 babies
- Total since 1880
- 2,097babies recorded
What does the name Darlyn mean?
Darlyn is a spelling of Darlene, pronounced the same way, so it shares Darlene's meaning and origin.
Darlene is a 20th-century coinage from the word darling and names such as Charlene and Marlene, as Wiktionary notes. Darling comes from Old English dēorling, from dēore 'dear'. Darlene was popular in the US in the 1930s to 1950s. Its meaning is that of the word darling rather than an inherited name.
dēorling (Old English, “darling”)dēore (Old English, “dear”)
How sure is this? Probable.
Related names: Darla, Charlene, Marlene.
See also: American names, names that mean love.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Darlene', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'darling' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Darlyn popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 33 since 1964.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,379 | 32 |
| 2020 | #3,458 | 44 |
| 2010 | #3,424 | 47 |
| 2000 | #3,906 | 32 |
| 1990 | #5,105 | 18 |
| 1980 | #7,569 | 8 |
| 1970 | #3,131 | 21 |
| 1960 | #2,529 | 23 |
| 1950 | #1,874 | 26 |
| 1940 | #2,127 | 15 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Darlyn, counting every spelling?
Darlyn is a spelling of Darlene, a name family that ranked #1,148 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #4,379 for Darlyn on its own. Together these spellings went to 190 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darlene | 108 | #1,847 | 540 |
| Darlyn | 32 | #4,379 | 222 |
| Darlin | 35 | #4,091 | 122 |
| Darleen | 10 | #9,607 | 49 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Darlyn?
32 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Darlyn (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Darlyn born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 261 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Darlyn.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Darlyn?
About 1,800 people born in the US named Darlyn are alive today, with a median age of 23; half are between 11 and 59. That makes Darlyn mostly worn by children and young adults. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Darlyn by state
How common Darlyn was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in California (2.2×). In 46 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Darlyn: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Darlyn, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Darlyn
What does Darlyn mean?
Darlyn is a spelling of Darlene, which means “20th-century coinage (darling + -lene)” (American English, Old English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Darlyn?
Darlyn was the 4379th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 32 babies. Its best year was 1946, when it ranked 1629th; the most babies were born in 2021 (61). Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,324 places. More babies were named Darlyn in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Darlyn a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Darlyn in the US.
Where is Darlyn most popular?
In 2021–2025, Darlyn was most common in California (0.06 per 1,000 girls), followed by Texas and Virginia.