Rylan
Rylan was the 416th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 771 babies. Its best year was 2011, when it ranked 146th with 2,766 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 175 places. More babies were named Rylan in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · English
Say it RY-lun /ˈraɪlən/
- Rank in 2025
- #416 boys, down 89 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 771boys
- Girls and boys
- 22% girls, 78% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20112,766 babies
- Total since 1880
- 41,160babies recorded
What does the name Rylan mean?
Rylan is a modern name. Wiktionary suggests it may be a variant of Ryland, an English place-based surname meaning "rye land", from Old English ryge, "rye", and land, which Harrison (1918) explains the same way. Its rise as a first name in the US since the 1990s probably owes more to the sound of Ryan and Riley than to the surname, so its meaning is uncertain.
ryge (Old English, “rye”)land (Old English, “land”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Possibly from Ryland; may simply be a modern coinage.
Related names: Ryland, Ryan, Rylen.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Rylan', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. 2 (1918), s.v. 'RYLAND', Morland Press (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Rylan popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,203 | #416 | 190 | 771 |
| 2020 | #870 | #327 | 310 | 1,008 |
| 2010 | #792 | #183 | 348 | 2,057 |
| 2000 | #2,970 | #568 | 48 | 363 |
| 1990 | — | #1,556 | — | 54 |
| 1980 | — | #1,542 | — | 40 |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Rylan, counting every spelling?
Rylan is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #372 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #416 for Rylan on its own. Together these spellings went to 907 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rylan | 771 | #416 | 4,332 |
| Rylen | 110 | #1,560 | 681 |
| Rylon | 14 | #6,379 | 63 |
| Rilan | 6 | #11,722 | 26 |
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 Rylan?
771 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Rylan (0.21 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Rylan 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 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Rylan.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Rylan?
About 34,100 people born in the US named Rylan are alive today, with a median age of 14; half are between 9 and 18. That makes Rylan mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Rylan by state
How common Rylan was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Mississippi (4.0×), Alabama (2.6×), Arkansas (2.5×), Louisiana (2.5×), South Dakota (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Rylan: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Rylan, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Rylan · Sibling names for Rylan
Questions about the name Rylan
What does Rylan mean?
The origin of Rylan is uncertain: Possibly from Ryland; may simply be a modern coinage.
How popular is the name Rylan?
Rylan was the 416th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 771 babies. Its best year was 2011, when it ranked 146th with 2,766 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 175 places. More babies were named Rylan in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Rylan a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 22% girls, 78% boys given the name Rylan in the US.
Where is Rylan most popular?
In 2021–2025, Rylan was most common in Mississippi (2.02 per 1,000 boys), followed by Alabama and Arkansas.