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ArchivesMy column on Dylan (and some more discussion)
Here is the link to today's column:
https://omaha.com/life-entertainment/cleveland-evans-dylan-is-a-modern-name-with-an-ancient-origin/article_0626ba2a-15df-11ee-988e-4355b8172f5a.html
I was a bit surprised from my research at just how new Dylan is as a given name. As the column states, the earliest sure example of a person named Dylan I could find was born in Wales in 1910. I haven't found any reliable instance yet of a person named Dylan anywhere before that time, just the character in the Welsh myths called the Mabinogion.
Now there certainly were instances of men named Dillon before 1910. Though the frequent use of Dillon as a given name so that it makes the top 1000 list in the USA only began after Dylan was popular, and so is primarily an alternative spelling of Dylan in modern times, Dillon is a surname with a least five different origins (2 English, 2 Irish, 1 Jewish according to Hanks & Hodges "A Dictionary of Surname") and as such you can find instances of men and boys given Dillon as a first name from the early 19th century on. So Dillon is actually older than Dylan as a given name.
It is obvious that Dylan's widespread use is almost solely due to the fame of Dylan Thomas. As the column points out, the first two Dylans born in the United States seem to have been inspired by him. To add to the information about them:
Dylan Stephens was from a recent Welsh background. His grandfather, Thomas Edgar Stephens (1886-1966), was a Welsh-born portrait painter who moved to the United States when his children were young. His portrait of President Dwight Eisenhower is the official one in the National Portrait Galley in Washington, DC. His son Peter John Stephens, father of Dylan, was a playwright as well as an author of several "young adult" historical novels. His paternal uncle, Richard Waring (born Stephens but used his mother's maiden name Waring as his stage name) was an actor. All three of those men have their own Wikipedia pages, which I guess is a sign they were well-known in their fields.
Dylan Stephens himself is an author of some esoteric books on astrology and similar topics that one can purchase on Amazon. There is a biography of him on his Amazon author page which includes more information about him and his family.
It is rather amazing to me that both Dylan Stephens and Dylan Thomas Smith (born 1948), the first two babies born in the USA named Dylan, are still alive as of this date according to public information I found through Google. Interestingly, neither of them still live in the continental USA: Dylan Stephens has retired to his ancestral home of Wales and Dylan T. Smith now lives on St. Croix in the Virgin Islands.
While researching this column I found several references to Dylan as a "traditional" Welsh name. I know the definition of "traditional" is subjective, but personally I really don't think a name whose first instance of use was in 1910 should be called "traditional." Any historical novel or film which includes a character named Dylan born before 1910 is anachronistic.
https://omaha.com/life-entertainment/cleveland-evans-dylan-is-a-modern-name-with-an-ancient-origin/article_0626ba2a-15df-11ee-988e-4355b8172f5a.html
I was a bit surprised from my research at just how new Dylan is as a given name. As the column states, the earliest sure example of a person named Dylan I could find was born in Wales in 1910. I haven't found any reliable instance yet of a person named Dylan anywhere before that time, just the character in the Welsh myths called the Mabinogion.
Now there certainly were instances of men named Dillon before 1910. Though the frequent use of Dillon as a given name so that it makes the top 1000 list in the USA only began after Dylan was popular, and so is primarily an alternative spelling of Dylan in modern times, Dillon is a surname with a least five different origins (2 English, 2 Irish, 1 Jewish according to Hanks & Hodges "A Dictionary of Surname") and as such you can find instances of men and boys given Dillon as a first name from the early 19th century on. So Dillon is actually older than Dylan as a given name.
It is obvious that Dylan's widespread use is almost solely due to the fame of Dylan Thomas. As the column points out, the first two Dylans born in the United States seem to have been inspired by him. To add to the information about them:
Dylan Stephens was from a recent Welsh background. His grandfather, Thomas Edgar Stephens (1886-1966), was a Welsh-born portrait painter who moved to the United States when his children were young. His portrait of President Dwight Eisenhower is the official one in the National Portrait Galley in Washington, DC. His son Peter John Stephens, father of Dylan, was a playwright as well as an author of several "young adult" historical novels. His paternal uncle, Richard Waring (born Stephens but used his mother's maiden name Waring as his stage name) was an actor. All three of those men have their own Wikipedia pages, which I guess is a sign they were well-known in their fields.
Dylan Stephens himself is an author of some esoteric books on astrology and similar topics that one can purchase on Amazon. There is a biography of him on his Amazon author page which includes more information about him and his family.
It is rather amazing to me that both Dylan Stephens and Dylan Thomas Smith (born 1948), the first two babies born in the USA named Dylan, are still alive as of this date according to public information I found through Google. Interestingly, neither of them still live in the continental USA: Dylan Stephens has retired to his ancestral home of Wales and Dylan T. Smith now lives on St. Croix in the Virgin Islands.
While researching this column I found several references to Dylan as a "traditional" Welsh name. I know the definition of "traditional" is subjective, but personally I really don't think a name whose first instance of use was in 1910 should be called "traditional." Any historical novel or film which includes a character named Dylan born before 1910 is anachronistic.
This message was edited 7/3/2023, 7:26 AM
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Replies
Given that it's listed under Welsh mythology, my guess is that in the past it was considered too sacred to use. The same thing was true with names of Greco-Roman gods. although nowadays Diana and Luna are acceptable names for girls, in Ancient Rome they were considered too sacred to use on children.
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This looks like it would fit right in with these names at the Problem Name Project: http://medievalscotland.org/problem/
The mix up with the name Dylan and the surname use of Dylan by Bob Dylan is probably what lead to its popularity for girls, although only 7% of American Dylans are girls.
The mix up with the name Dylan and the surname use of Dylan by Bob Dylan is probably what lead to its popularity for girls, although only 7% of American Dylans are girls.
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