Dilys
True and faithful one of Welsh origin.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Dilys. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Dilys today is around 78 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dilys births was 1915 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dilys. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Dilys with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Dilys is about 78 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Dilys' were born before 1958.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Dilys. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1915
5 babies that year
Average age
78
years old
1946 SSA rank
#5,127
Tracked since 1915
Census
Dilys in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 177 people with the first name Dilys, which placed it at #41,393 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#41,393
National first-name rank
People counted
177
177 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
54.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dilys
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dilys is White at 54.2%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (15.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Dilys described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Dilys at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.2% · 96
- Black or African American22.6% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander15.8% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 9
- Two or more races1.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Popularity
Dilys: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dilys from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 10 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dilys by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Dilys during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dilys
The given name Dilys originates from the Welsh language. It is derived from the Welsh word "didwyll," which means "true," "sincere," or "honest." The name has been in use since the Middle Ages in Wales and other parts of Britain.
In its earliest recorded usage, the name appears in medieval Welsh literature and historical records. It was a popular name among the Welsh nobility and gentry during this time, often given to daughters as a reflection of their desired virtues.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the name Dilys was Dilys Vychan, a Welsh noblewoman who lived in the 14th century. She was the daughter of Rhys ap Gruffydd, a prominent Welsh landowner and military leader.
Another notable historical figure with the name Dilys was Dilys Cadwalader (c. 1510-1578), a Welsh heiress and landowner. She inherited significant estates in Denbighshire and Flintshire, and her descendants played an influential role in the region.
In the 17th century, Dilys Penrhyn (1621-1698) was a Welsh writer and poet. She is known for her collection of religious poems and her contributions to the Welsh literary tradition.
Moving into the 18th century, Dilys Wynn (1701-1779) was a Welsh philanthropist and patron of the arts. She was instrumental in supporting Welsh culture and education, founding several schools and endowing scholarships.
In more recent times, Dilys Davies (1909-1986) was a Welsh actress and singer. She had a successful career on stage and in films, appearing in productions in both Welsh and English.
While the name Dilys has its roots in Wales, it has also been adopted in other parts of Britain and beyond, particularly in areas with strong Welsh cultural influences or connections. The name's meaning of honesty and sincerity has likely contributed to its enduring appeal.
People
Dilys + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dilys as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Dilys: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dilys?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dilys going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Dilys a common name?
We classify Dilys as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 20 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dilys most popular?
The single biggest year for Dilys was 1915, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dilys is about 78 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Dilys in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 177 people with the name Dilys, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #41,393 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Dilys in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Dilys?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Dilys leans strongly female. 177 people counted with this name were female (98.3%), compared with 3 male bearers (1.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Dilys?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dilys is White at 54.2%. The next largest groups are Black (22.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (15.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Dilys most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Dilys in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.2% (96 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Dilys in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dilys a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dilys in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Dilys still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dilys in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Dilys can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Dilys?
See how many Americans are named Dilys on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.