At a glance
- U.S. rank 2025
- #805 of boy names
- Babies in 2025
- 309 (0.017% of boys)
- Trend
- Steady #839 in 2020 to #805 in 2025
- Peak
- #662 in 2024
- First recorded
- 1980
Meaning of Dilan
Dilan (pronounced dee-LAHN) is a friendly little globe-trotter of a name, carrying two well-worn passports. From the Celtic side, it’s the streamlined cousin of Dylan, meaning “son of the sea,” all salty breezes and rolling waves. Hop over to Kurdish and Turkish lands, and Dilan springs from dil—“heart”—evoking lively circle dances and big, joyous emotion. Put those images together and you get a name that’s both cool and warm, like a beach bonfire at dusk. American parents have been quietly catching on; since the early ’90s Dilan has paddled up the charts from the 700s to the mid-500s, proving he has staying power without ever feeling overexposed. Easy to say, a cinch to spell, and packed with poetic charm, Dilan offers a fresh twist on a familiar sound for parents who want their son to follow his own current while dancing to the rhythm of his own heart.
How to pronounce Dilan
Armenian
- Pronounced dee-LAHN /diːˈlɑn/
Turkish, Kurdish
- Pronounced DEE-lahn /ˈdiː.lɑn/
Popularity of Dilan in the U.S.
Dilan was the #805 boy name in the U.S. in 2025, with 309 babies. It peaked at #662 in 2024 and has been in the top 1,000 since 2019. It first appears in the records in 1980.
- Rank among U.S. boy names (right scale, #1 at the top)
Year-by-year table, 1980–2025 40 rows
| Year | Babies | Rank | vs previous year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 309 | 805 | ▼ 143 |
| 2024 | 414 | 662 | ▲ 95 |
| 2023 | 344 | 757 | ▲ 60 |
| 2022 | 303 | 817 | ▲ 54 |
| 2021 | 265 | 871 | ▼ 32 |
| 2020 | 272 | 839 | ▲ 139 |
| 2019 | 218 | 978 | ▲ 163 |
| 2018 | 168 | 1,141 | ▼ 224 |
| 2017 | 232 | 917 | ▲ 96 |
| 2016 | 200 | 1,013 | ▼ 109 |
| 2015 | 240 | 904 | ▼ 69 |
| 2014 | 270 | 835 | ▲ 47 |
| 2013 | 236 | 882 | ▲ 155 |
| 2012 | 186 | 1,037 | ▲ 19 |
| 2011 | 178 | 1,056 | ▼ 224 |
| 2010 | 257 | 832 | ▲ 49 |
| 2009 | 239 | 881 | ▲ 252 |
| 2008 | 161 | 1,133 | ▲ 64 |
| 2007 | 147 | 1,197 | ▼ 66 |
| 2006 | 152 | 1,131 | ▲ 65 |
| 2005 | 133 | 1,196 | ▲ 39 |
| 2004 | 122 | 1,235 | ▼ 124 |
| 2003 | 138 | 1,111 | ▲ 333 |
| 2002 | 89 | 1,444 | ▲ 37 |
| 2001 | 82 | 1,481 | ▼ 111 |
| 2000 | 92 | 1,370 | ▲ 79 |
| 1999 | 80 | 1,449 | ▼ 111 |
| 1998 | 89 | 1,338 | ▲ 310 |
| 1997 | 61 | 1,648 | ▲ 57 |
| 1996 | 55 | 1,705 | ▼ 23 |
| 1995 | 53 | 1,682 | ▼ 118 |
| 1994 | 59 | 1,564 | ▼ 25 |
| 1993 | 59 | 1,539 | ▼ 29 |
| 1992 | 59 | 1,510 | ▲ 542 |
| 1991 | 36 | 2,052 | ▲ 2,621 |
| 1990 | 11 | 4,673 | back (not recorded in 1989) |
| 1988 | 6 | 6,426 | ▼ 1,853 |
| 1987 | 9 | 4,573 | back (not recorded in 1986) |
| 1985 | 5 | 6,523 | back (not recorded in 1981–1984) |
| 1980 | 5 | 6,250 | new |
Dilan by state
Notable people named Dilan
- Dilan Çiçek Deniz is a Turkish actress and model who won Miss Universe Turkey 2014 and is best known for her role in Çukur.
- Dilan Deniz Gökçek İşcan is a Turkish sports instructor and FIFA-listed woman referee since 2005.
- Dilan Ağgül is a German-born Turkish midfielder who plays for FSV Gütersloh 2009 and the Turkey national team.
- Dilan Jayawardane, a Sri Lankan engineer, co-founded Scoopler in the United States.
- Sri Lankan cricketer Dilan Jayalath made his debut in first-class, Twenty20, and List A cricket for Sinhalese Sports Club between 2016 and 2018.
- Dilan Ramanayake is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played 37 first-class and List A matches from 1999 to 2009 and debuted in Twenty20 cricket in 2004.