Braelyn

FYI, this name is Scottish in origin, and means “meadow” or “dweller near the moor”. "Brae" also means bonnie or fair. Which is why I chose it for my daughter, as a nod to my maternal side of the family, which is just two generations off the pond from Scotland to Canada. Had nothing at all to do with donkeys or copying of boys named Braydon, though I do have to agree that "Braylon" is not a great name for a boy - only because of people's tragic mispronunciation of "lon" vs. "lyn" and the ensuing confusion/corrections that will plague the young man with that name.

Funny how this thread began in 2005 ("Should I name my baby girl Braelyn?" and then in 2019 (or so), a bunch of teenage girls add comments ("My name is Braelyn and it's not trashy!")

This is a rare “made-up” name. My husband's name is Brandon Linn, this is our 4th girl, so we are naming her Braelinn. So folks who don’t like it, quit being TROLLS! Seriously, move on.

Braelyn is a modern American name, made in the US from a word of Scots origin plus the popular -lyn ending. It isn't a Welsh, Irish or 'Celtic' name, lol. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being American, having an American name, or having a made-up name for that matter: lots of people have them. Own your name as it is, and stop trying to make it something it isn't.

I am blown away at the critical and judgmental comments here! Braelyn is a BEAUTIFUL name! While it may be "made up" in some instances it **absolutely** also has meaning as the name is broken down into the words that happen to be present in this name. Briallen comes from the Celtic “briallu” meaning "primrose" so this meaning could easily be ascribed to this name. Alternatively Braelyn comes from the Gaelic-Scottish “brae” meaning “hill” and the Welsh “llyn” meaning “lake”. The idea that because the name is "made up" (more contemporary) thus doesn't have a "meaning" is sooooo silly! All names were originally made up. My daughter's name is Terin which is a another name for a small yellow songbird also called a Siskin. I chose Terin because I had met an Irish woman by that name (how it sounded) but with a REALLY weird spelling that I could not remember! It is a Celtic name, meaning Irish hillside. I chose to boil it down to the simplest spelling possible though and ended up with Terin which also means Siskin. I have sometimes read that it is "contemporary" with no meaning (this particular spelling) but that is hogwash because I chose a "legit" name with several meanings depending upon how you spell it and what culture you are talking about. Same concept with Braelyn. It's Celtic and it is beautiful.

I named my SON Braelyn, and it was derived as a different spelling of Bralon, Braylon, Braylen. I know a lot of people are talking crap about this name sounding "white trashy"... did you know there are famous college and NFL football players named Braylon and Braylen. I didn't just throw some sounds together. I didn't grow up on FARMS so I DONT KNOW what donkeys sound like, nor do I care what the sound a donkey makes is called. But I do think the information on this name should definitely include that it can be MASCULINE OR FEMININE because a lot of guys have been named different variations of Braelyn, Braylen, Bralon, Braylon... etc. Then it's dumb to insist on it being a girl name. There were no girls named Braelyn anywhere on the internet when I named him that. Now people are naming girls any variation of the name also, they should all just be considered gender neutral. And anyways, I think the name sounds very strong, especially if you've ever heard of the many football players with it. I can't imagine that anyone would name their child "beautiful cry" whether male or female and also, if this is a modernized American originating name... then all of the etmyology of the different parts of it... Brae or Lyn... are irrelevant now. I didn't name him by picking each syllable. I picked a name that sounded like it could be really tough, and at other times could be really sweet. It has been a perfect name for him, too. He LOVES football. He NEVER gets picked on for his name. He DOES blend and fit in with all of the boys named Kaylan, Waylon, Jaylin, Jayden, Brayden, Hayden, Caden, Aidan, Peyton... while maintaining his still very unique name... Braelyn.

"I know a lot of people are talking crap about this name sounding "white trashy"... did you know there are famous college and NFL football players named Braylon and Braylen."

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You are not helping your case, dear.

In English, a bray means a cry. The suffix -lyn means beautiful. Therefore, the only sensible meaning for this name is a beautiful cry.

This 'name' is not Irish, that's just what parents claim when they want to be yoo-neek and slap it on their daughters, but don't want to look uneducated or like they made it up. I agree with the others here - you can claim it's Irish and ancient and come up with fake meanings for it, but the reality is it's still just a mishmash of made-up parts, and deciding on a meaning for a name doesn't make it any less fabricated and tryndee.

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The only part of this 'name' that has any history whatsoever is that the word "Brae" has weak connections to the Scottish language. "Brae" is the occasionally used, Lowland Scots word for hill or slope. In other words, it's pretty much just a slang word/colloquialism. 'Lyn' is the nauseating suffix getting put on the end of every female's name nowadays (Taelyn, Jaylyn, Zaelyn, you've seen them all and more)

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Of course, 'lyn' has been in use in decades past, but usually by itself and never as a suffix to made up prefixes like "Krae" and "Cay." At the end of the day, Braelyn is just as made up as the rest of them, although it does have a particularly unattractive sound in my opinion.

Origin: Irish
Meaning: Strong; virtuous, honorable

This web-site and those commenting have it all wrong. This name is not some new fad. Those who have mentioned Scottish have got it part right. In Ireland and old Scottish they use a form of language called Gaelic. Welsh derives roots from Gaelic as does old Scottish. Since I am Irish and I have lived in Ireland, the name has Irish roots. The spelling and pronunciation are unique but common sounding like many names in the U.S. such as... Sean = Shawn, Siobhan= Shavon, Ashlyn = is Gaelic... just like Braelyn. And yes there are popular figures on this side of the pond with this beautiful name.

Actually, "lynn" doesn't mean lake. "llyn" or "lyn" means lake. Just thought I'd point that out. :D

I'm a Welsh speaker and lake in Welsh is "llyn" not "lyn", and if you knew anything about Welsh phonetics they do not sound the same. Mere excuse to attempt to give this name a history it doesn't have. I'm not keen on the "lyn" names as it seems to be tacked onto any old sound/name e.g. Gracelyn, Raelynn, Kailyn etc. I do like the classic Evelyn though.

In 1980 when I was a senior in high school I was sitting in my biology class thumbing through the dictionary. I had been dating the man I thought I might marry and was looking for ideas for our future children's names (as most girls do at some point). I found the word brae, which means hill (Scottish), since I am part Scot I figured pretty beginning. Then I started putting second syllables with it, since brae alone was too short. Thinking of my niece whose middle name was lyn with one "n", I put them together. Loved the name keeping it tucked away and only telling one of my sisters about it. 3 years later I got married, to a different man. I was pregnant within 6 months. A girl was born and in 1984 and the name was used. That is the origin of the correct spelling of the name BRAELYN.

I believe this name means "powerful lake" since bree means powerful and lyn means lake.

If you look at the elements of the name, "brae" is a Scots word meaning 'hill', and "lyn" is a common name suffix which often denotes beauty. Therefore, "beautiful hill" is a fair estimation of this name's meaning.