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Origin: |
Dylan is a name which hails from Welsh mythology. The Mabinogion tells the Welsh legend of King Math who was fated to die if he did not keep his feet in the lap of a virgin when not at war. His niece, Arianrhod, was put forward for the job. To test her virginity, Math instructed her to step over his wand. As she did, Arianrhod miraculously gave birth to two baby boys (seemingly she did not know she was pregnant): Dylan Ail Ton and Lleu Llaw Gyffes. "Then stepped she over the magic wand, and there appeared forthwith a fine chubby yellow-haired boy. And at the crying out of the boy, she went towards the door. And thereupon some small form was seen; but before any one could get a second glimpse of it, Gwydion had taken it, and had flung a scarf of velvet around it and hidden it. Now the place where he hid it was the bottom of a chest at the foot of his bed. "Verily," said Math the son of Mathonwy, concerning the fine yellow- haired boy, "I will cause this one to be baptised, and Dylan is the name I will give him." So they had the boy baptised, and as they baptised him he plunged into the sea. And immediately when he was in the sea, he took its nature, and swam as well as the best fish that was therein. And for that reason was he called Dylan, the son of the Wave. Beneath him no wave ever broke." Math the son of Mathonwy, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest* He is known as Dylan Ail Ton (Eil Ton in Middle Welsh). Ton means "wave" (of the sea)* and ail can mean "second", "like, similar, equal, equivalent" or "son, heir, descendant."*. Most translate this into English as "Son of the Wave," though others prefer "Second Wave" taking the meaning that Dylan was Arianrhod's second son (though curiously most versions of the tale have Dylan born first). Dylan is, therefore, certainly connected to the sea, and was most likely once an ancient Celtic god of the sea. His brother Lleu is widely regarded as analogous to the Irish god Lugh* (both later forms of the ancient Celtic god Lugus) whose name means "light". Some scholars argue** that Dylan and Lleu represent the twin powers of darkness and light. Dylan's domain is the the great dark ungovernable ocean. As for the etymology, Dylan's origin is explained by the entry dylanw in The Dictionary of the Welsh Language in which it is described as "a tide, a flowing in, an influx" deriving from the pronoun dy- "to the, thy, thine" and llanw "tide, flow, flood." Similar words which derive from this source include dylanwaf "to fill, replenish, flow in" and dylanwad "influence." The surname Dillon either derives from the Old Germanic name Dillo (of unknown meaning though possibly cognate with the Old English name Dulle "dull") with the suffix -an, or from the village of Dilwyn in Herefordshire. Dilwyn itself derives from the Old English diglum "at the dingles" — a shady, secretive place. The English Dillon was also taken over to Ireland by the Normans in the 12th century, where it was common in Meath, Roscommon and Westmeath (the latter was known as "Dillon's County"). There Dillon was also used to anglicise the Irish surname Ó Duilleáin which means "descendant of Dallán" — an Old Irish name derived from dall "blind." |
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Usage: |
The surname Dillon, as with all surnames, was in occasional use as a given name from the 17th century. This was usually given to honour a godparent or the mother's maiden name. It was rare, however, and from 1838 to 1900, was only registered as a given (first) name 15 times in England and Wales. The Welsh Dylan, however, simply wasn't in use as a given name at all. At the end of the 19th century, Welsh names saw a revival but, despite interest in the Welsh myths and legends, mythological names were hit and miss in use. Dylan was not registered at all as a first name from 1838 to 1900 in England and Wales. Similarly, Lleu, Rhiannon, Pwyll, Pryderi, Branwen, Math(onwy), Lludd, Rhonabwy and other names from the Mabinogion were also rare or unused during this period. Dylan was first registered in the 1910s and picked up use in the 1940s as birth rankings in England and Wales show:
It is particularly interesting to note that Dylan picked up noticably after 1946, which coincides with the publication of Deaths and Entrances by poet Dylan Thomas. During this period, Thomas was also a popular guest on radio talk shows for the BBC. The name also saw a massive boost after Dylan Thomas' death in November 1953. From January 1950 to September 1953, 15 boys were given the name Dylan in England and Wales (mostly Wales). In the October-December quarter of 1953 when Dylan Thomas died, 5 boys were given the name (more than any other quarter to that date) and 28 boys were given the name in the following year. From this point on, Dylan was firmly established as a standard Welsh name. In the 60s and 70s, it was largely used in Wales, but also saw popularity in England, reaching the top 100 in England in the 1990s. The higher popularity in Wales continues to this day, as we can see from births in England and Wales combined, compared with Wales and England separately:
In 2016, Dylan ranked #16 (149 births) in Wales, #38 (1,634 births) in England and #35 (158 births) in Scotland. |
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Famous Bearers: |
History: * Dylan Thomas (1914–1953), Welsh poet. Contemporary: * Dylan Baker (born 1959), American actor. Literature and Other Media: * Dylan McKay, played by Luke Perry on Beverly Hills 90210. |
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Variants: |
Dillon, Dilan |
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Pronunciation: |
DIL-ən (English) DUL-ən (Welsh) [key] |
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Possible diminutives: |
Dan, Dyl |
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Sibling Names: |
Megan Olivia Seren Mia Isla Carys |
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Name Lists: |
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If you like Dylan you may also like: |
Thanks to Jane for requesting this name.
