Waylan
Masculine
Waylan is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 1,288 boys against 11 girls since 1880.
Waylan respells Waylon, and behind it is Weland the smith — a lamed craftsman who took a terrible revenge and escaped by flying.
How old is the name Waylan?
Waylan first appears in US birth records in 1923 — 102 years ago. The typical Waylan alive today was born around 2011, making them about 14 years old. About 1,200 people named Waylan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Waylan most popular?
Waylan peaked in 2019, reaching #2310 nationally. Today it ranks #2572, 262 places below that high. See the whole 2019 chart.
Where it comes from
From Weland to Waylan
The story of Waylan
Weland is hamstrung by a king to keep him working, kills the king's sons, makes cups of their skulls, and escapes on wings he forges himself — a story carved on the Franks Casket. Waylon Jennings made the American spelling familiar. Waylan appears in the registers in current use.
Meaningscholars disagree
Not established
Through Waylon and Wayland, from the Old English Weland and Old Norse Völundr, whose etymology is not settled — proposals connect the first element to a root meaning 'craft' or 'battle'. The figure is documented across Germanic literature; the name's meaning is not.
How the name formed
- Weland
- Waylon
- Waylan
Related forms: Waylon · Völundr · Wieland
Pronouncing Waylan
WAY-lun
Two syllables, stress on the first. Waylan and Waylon are said identically.
Nicknames for Waylan
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
- 1923
- Most boys named
- 201959 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2310reached in 2019
- Change vs 2024
- +4.1%51 in 2025, from 49
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.
Waylan in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Waylon in English — spelling variant
- Völundr in Old Norse — related form
- Wieland in German — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, Florida, California.
Waylans among us
people named Waylan are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 33,492 born in 2025 was named Waylan
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Raymondo test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Waylan's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Raymondo climbed just as high around 1964, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Raymondo's path sketches the road Waylan is walking now.
Waylan 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 Waylan is headed
Waylan 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.
Waylan beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Waylan in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That the Franks Casket carving survives is a first-rate anchor.
- Waylon Jennings is a strong American bearer.
- Two clean syllables with no pronunciation risk.
- The name's own meaning is genuinely unrecovered.
- Waylon is the commoner spelling.
- The legend's revenge is extremely grim.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Waylan 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 Waylan? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Waylan
Masculine · #2572 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Waylans are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,200 people named Waylan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Waylan in 2025?
- Waylan ranks #2572 among US boy names in 2025, with 51 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Waylan?
- About 1 in every 33,492 US boys born in 2025 was named Waylan — 51 in all.
- Will my child share the name Waylan with classmates?
- Waylan will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Waylan
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Ripp#2572 · Efraim#2572 · Willem#2572 · Duane#2572 · Nikolaos#2572 · Nicolai#2572 · Zair#2572 · Parth#2572
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Waylan? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Waylan 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