Baby Names of Ireland

Dylan in Irish: Dillon

The Irish form of Dylan is Dillon, a boy's name meaning “a flash of lightning.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.

Updated September 2026

How to say Dillon
DIL-onTwo syllables, stress on the first
Irish form
Dillon
Meaning
A flash of lightning
Gender
Boy
Popularity in Ireland
No. 69 for boys (2025)

How do you say Dylan in Irish?

Dylan in Irish is Dillon, pronounced DIL-on. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first.

What does Dillon mean?

Dillon means “a flash of lightning.” Dylan is one of the English forms of the name.

Read more about Dillon: its meaning, origin and stories

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.

0300600197019801990200020102020538 in 200184 in 2025
Baby boys named Dylan each year. Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies’ Names 2025 (data: table VSA50, boys' names, CC BY 4.0).
See the numbers by year
YearBabiesRank
202584No. 69
2024141No. 39
2023132No. 41
2022163No. 33
2021205No. 26
2020182No. 28
2019223No. 26
2018247No. 26
2017252No. 29
2016286No. 23
2015343No. 17
2014384No. 11
2013360No. 20
2012471No. 9
2011492No. 10
2010491No. 10
2009480No. 11
2008519No. 8
2007516No. 11
2006456No. 12
2005467No. 11
2004479No. 11
2003478No. 10
2002485No. 11
2001538No. 8
2000477No. 10
1999445No. 10
1998443No. 7
1997531No. 13
1996491No. 14
1995487No. 13
1994311No. 23
1993249No. 33
199296No. 70
199170No. 85
199032No. 132
198927No. 136
198821No. 148
198712No. 185
198611No. 192
198525No. 142
198416No. 163
198317No. 161
198213No. 179
198120No. 160
198021No. 157
197915No. 176
197814No. 179
197712No. 194
19769No. 218
19759No. 216
197413No. 190
19739No. 215
197111No. 193
19695No. 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.

᚛ᚇᚔᚂᚂᚑᚅ᚜
  1. DDair, oak
  2. IIodhadh, yew
  3. LLuis, rowan
  4. LLuis, rowan
  5. OOnn, gorse
  6. NNion, ash

Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator

Names that go with Dylan

Questions about Dylan

What is Dylan in Irish?
The Irish form of Dylan is Dillon, pronounced DIL-on. Dillon means “a flash of lightning.”
How do you pronounce Dillon?
Dillon is pronounced DIL-on. Two syllables, stress on the first.
Is Dylan a girl's name or a boy's name?
Dylan is a boy's name.
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.