| Evan | Dylan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | God is gracious | Sea, son of the wave |
| Origin | welsh | welsh |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | EV-uhn | DIL-an |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1953 |
| Peak year | 2007 (10,295) | 2001 (16,497) |
| In 2025 | 2,412 | 6,208 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Evan | Dylan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 17,014 | 41,138 |
| 2010s | 64,762 | 96,354 |
| 2000s | 92,144 | 140,125 |
| 1990s | 59,396 | 122,074 |
| 1980s | 32,484 | 14,171 |
| 1970s | 7,870 | 4,036 |
| 1960s | 5,084 | 684 |
| 1950s | 2,989 | 97 |
| 1940s | 1,545 | 0 |
| 1930s | 1,175 | 0 |
| 1920s | 1,511 | 0 |
| 1910s | 1,130 | 0 |
| 1900s | 218 | 0 |
| 1890s | 187 | 0 |
| 1880s | 192 | 0 |
An anglicisation of the Welsh Iefan/Ifan, a form of John, ultimately from Hebrew 'Yochanan' meaning 'God is gracious.' A John-root grace name.
From Welsh, traditionally interpreted as containing an element meaning 'sea' or 'tide'; in medieval Welsh myth Dylan ail Don is a sea figure who takes to the waves at birth. The exact derivation of the first element is debated, but the sea association is ancient.
Dylan is more popular than Evan today: about 6,208 US babies were given the name Dylan in 2025, compared with 2,412 named Evan.
Evan means God is gracious (welsh origin), while Dylan means Sea, son of the wave (welsh origin).
In US records, Evan first appears in 1880 and Dylan in 1953, so Evan has the longer recorded history.