Llewyn
Masculine
Llewyn is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 542 boys against 11 girls since 1880.
Llewyn is a modern spelling near the Welsh Llywelyn — the name of the last native prince of Wales, killed in 1282.
How old is the name Llewyn?
Llewyn first appears in US birth records in 2014 — 11 years ago. The typical Llewyn is a kid of about 5 — this name's wave is very recent. About 500 people named Llewyn are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Llewyn most popular?
Llewyn peaked in 2018, reaching #2325 nationally. Today it ranks #4139, 1,814 places below that high. See the whole 2018 chart.
Where it comes from
From Llywelyn to Llewyn
The story of Llewyn
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd was the last Welsh prince to hold the title before the English conquest, and his death in 1282 ended Welsh independence; his name is one of the most charged in Welsh history. The double ll is a Welsh consonant English does not have. Llewyn as a modern spelling appears in English-speaking records after a 2013 film gave it currency.
Meaningscholars disagree
Not established
Llywelyn's derivation is unsettled: readings include a compound of llyw, a leader, with a second element, and a connection to the older Lugubelinos joining two divine names. The popular reading as lion-like is a folk etymology from French.
How the name formed
- Llywelyn
- Llewyn
Related forms: Llywelyn · Llewellyn
Pronouncing Llewyn
LOO-in
Two syllables, first stressed. The Welsh ll is a breathed l English does not have and gets said as an l.
Nicknames for Llewyn
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 2014
- Most boys named
- 202258 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2325reached in 2018
- Change vs 2024
- −41.9%25 in 2025, from 43
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Llewyn in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Llywelyn in Welsh — related form
- Llewellyn in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Pennsylvania.
Llewyns among us
people named Llewyn are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 68,323 born in 2025 was named Llewyn
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Llewyn
- #4139
- Llewyn on the 2025 chart
- #886
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Llewyn went to 25 boys in 2025, but Lewin is the same name said out loud. Together the 2 spellings went to 42, which makes it the 886th most-given boys’ name of the year — 3,253 places above the chart.
- Llewyn25
- Lewin17
About 1 boy in 40,668 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 68,323 for Llewyn itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Simone test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Llewyn's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Simone climbed just as high around 1938, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Simone's path sketches the road Llewyn is walking now.
Llewyn sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Llewyn is headed
Llewyn should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Llewyn beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Llewyn in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A genuinely significant Welsh historical figure stands behind the fuller name.
- Lew and Wyn are both complete short forms in their own right.
- Six letters and two syllables, manageable to write.
- The double l is a Welsh consonant English cannot produce and looks like a typo.
- Llywelyn and Llewellyn are the standard spellings and this is neither.
- The meaning is genuinely unsettled.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Llewyn to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Llewyn? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Llewyn
Masculine · #4139 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Llewyns are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Llewyn are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Llewyn?
- Llewyn is the most-used spelling in US records — 25 of the 42 babies given the name in 2025. The others recorded are Lewin.
- How popular is the name Llewyn in 2025?
- Llewyn ranks #4139 among US boy names in 2025, with 25 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Llewyn?
- About 1 in every 68,323 US boys born in 2025 was named Llewyn — 25 in all.
- Will my child share the name Llewyn with classmates?
- Llewyn will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Llewyn
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Mose#4139 · Lucious#4139 · Karsten#4139 · Nikita#4139 · Hasani#4139 · Jomar#4139 · Fionn#4139 · Earnest#4139
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Llewyn? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Llewyn and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle