Dylan in Irish? Dillon Is the Closest Irish Name
Dylan is a Welsh name, formed from the prefix dy- and llanw, “tide, flow.” In the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, Dylan, a son of Arianrhod, takes to the sea as soon as he is baptised. Dillon is the closest Irish name: it sounds alike and is sometimes used as a spelling of Dylan, but the surname Dillon is Norman-French, Díolún in Irish. Here’s how to say Dillon, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated November 2026
- Closest Irish name
- Dillon
- Gender
- Boy
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 69 for boys (2025)
How do you say Dillon?
The closest Irish name to Dylan is Dillon. Dillon is pronounced DIL-on. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first.
What does Dillon mean?
Dillon is an Irish surname of Norman-French origin, also used as a boy’s name and as a spelling of the Welsh Dylan. Dylan is a Welsh name, formed from the prefix dy- and llanw, “tide, flow.” In the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, Dylan, a son of Arianrhod, takes to the sea as soon as he is baptised.
Read more about Dillon: its meaning, origin and stories
How popular is Dylan in Ireland?
In 2025, 84 baby boys in Ireland were named Dylan, which made it No. 69 that year. That's down from No. 17 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 1998, when 443 baby boys were named Dylan, No. 7 that year. The most babies got the name in 2001: 538. It first appears in the records in 1969, with 5 baby boys.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 84 | No. 69 |
| 2024 | 141 | No. 39 |
| 2023 | 132 | No. 41 |
| 2022 | 163 | No. 33 |
| 2021 | 205 | No. 26 |
| 2020 | 182 | No. 28 |
| 2019 | 223 | No. 26 |
| 2018 | 247 | No. 26 |
| 2017 | 252 | No. 29 |
| 2016 | 286 | No. 23 |
| 2015 | 343 | No. 17 |
| 2014 | 384 | No. 11 |
| 2013 | 360 | No. 20 |
| 2012 | 471 | No. 9 |
| 2011 | 492 | No. 10 |
| 2010 | 491 | No. 10 |
| 2009 | 480 | No. 11 |
| 2008 | 519 | No. 8 |
| 2007 | 516 | No. 11 |
| 2006 | 456 | No. 12 |
| 2005 | 467 | No. 11 |
| 2004 | 479 | No. 11 |
| 2003 | 478 | No. 10 |
| 2002 | 485 | No. 11 |
| 2001 | 538 | No. 8 |
| 2000 | 477 | No. 10 |
| 1999 | 445 | No. 10 |
| 1998 | 443 | No. 7 |
| 1997 | 531 | No. 13 |
| 1996 | 491 | No. 14 |
| 1995 | 487 | No. 13 |
| 1994 | 311 | No. 23 |
| 1993 | 249 | No. 33 |
| 1992 | 96 | No. 70 |
| 1991 | 70 | No. 85 |
| 1990 | 32 | No. 132 |
| 1989 | 27 | No. 136 |
| 1988 | 21 | No. 148 |
| 1987 | 12 | No. 185 |
| 1986 | 11 | No. 192 |
| 1985 | 25 | No. 142 |
| 1984 | 16 | No. 163 |
| 1983 | 17 | No. 161 |
| 1982 | 13 | No. 179 |
| 1981 | 20 | No. 160 |
| 1980 | 21 | No. 157 |
| 1979 | 15 | No. 176 |
| 1978 | 14 | No. 179 |
| 1977 | 12 | No. 194 |
| 1976 | 9 | No. 218 |
| 1975 | 9 | No. 216 |
| 1974 | 13 | No. 190 |
| 1973 | 9 | No. 215 |
| 1971 | 11 | No. 193 |
| 1969 | 5 | No. 246 |
Dillon in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Dillon, letter by letter.
- DDair, oak
- IIodhadh, yew
- LLuis, rowan
- LLuis, rowan
- OOnn, gorse
- NNion, ash
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Dylan
Questions about Dylan
- What is the closest Irish name to Dylan?
- Dylan is a Welsh name, formed from the prefix dy- and llanw, “tide, flow.” In the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, Dylan, a son of Arianrhod, takes to the sea as soon as he is baptised. Dillon is the closest Irish name: it sounds alike and is sometimes used as a spelling of Dylan, but the surname Dillon is Norman-French, Díolún in Irish. Dillon is pronounced DIL-on.
- How do you pronounce Dillon?
- Dillon is pronounced DIL-on, with two syllables and the stress on the first.
- How popular is Dylan in Ireland?
- In 2025, Dylan was No. 69 for boys in Ireland, with 84 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 1998, at No. 7.
Sources: popularity from the Central Statistics Office, table VSA50 (CC BY 4.0). Meaning and origin from Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923), Behind the Name and Wikipedia. How we research names: our sources. Spotted a mistake? support@babynamesofireland.com