Waylan
Boy name · #2577 in 2025 · Very rare
Waylan ranks #2577 among American boys' names as of 2025, with 51 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #2722, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 35,294 boys born in 2025 was named Waylan.
Babies named Waylan per year. Source: SSA.
The 102-year story
Waylan first appears in the Social Security records in 1923, when 6 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2023, with 60 babies and a rank of #2315. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Waylan against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Waylan in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Waylan is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Waylan will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Waylan is most common
State-level data for Waylan is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Waylan
Statistically, parents drawn to Waylan tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Nylan, Kailan, Ruslan, Zylan, and Zaylan.
NylanKailanRuslanZylanZaylanKallanKhylanMylan
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Waylan | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 51 | #2572 |
| 2024 | 49 | #2674 |
| 2023 | 60 | #2315 |
| 2022 | 58 | #2408 |
| 2021 | 42 | #2918 |
| 2020 | 48 | #2617 |
| 2019 | 59 | #2310 |
| 2018 | 48 | #2617 |
| 2017 | 44 | #2755 |
| 2016 | 44 | #2726 |
| 2015 | 44 | #2722 |
| 2014 | 39 | #2929 |
| 2013 | 31 | #3405 |
| 2012 | 39 | #2954 |
| 2011 | 36 | #3114 |
| 2010 | 46 | #2632 |
| 2009 | 23 | #4278 |
| 2008 | 38 | #3057 |
| 2007 | 30 | #3511 |
| 2006 | 24 | #4001 |
| 2005 | 23 | #3941 |
| 2004 | 18 | #4602 |
| 2003 | 18 | #4426 |
| 2002 | 14 | #5131 |
| 2001 | 7 | #8339 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Waylan a popular boy name?
Waylan ranked #2577 among boys in 2025 with 51 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #2722.
When was the name Waylan most popular?
Waylan peaked in 2023, when 60 American boys received the name (ranked #2315 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Waylan?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 35,294 newborn American boys was named Waylan. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.