Scotlyn
A variant spelling of the feminine name Scotlynn, possibly combining Scottish and Lynn.
Name Census estimates that about 1,219 living Americans carry the first name Scotlyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Scotlyn today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Scotlyn births was 2024 (162 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Scotlyn. 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.
Key insights
- • Scotlyn is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 10 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 281,177 Americans
Peak year
2024
162 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,390
Tracked since 1996
Census
Scotlyn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 706 people with the first name Scotlyn, which placed it at #16,084 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
#16,084
National first-name rank
People counted
706
706 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
82.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scotlyn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Scotlyn is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and Black (5.2%). 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 Scotlyn 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 Scotlyn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.2% · 580
- Two or more races6.2% · 44
- Black or African American5.2% · 37
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 3
Popularity
Scotlyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Scotlyn from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 502 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
Scotlyn 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 Scotlyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Scotlyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 15 states and territories. Texas, California, Utah recorded the most babies named Scotlyn, while Tennessee, New York, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 20 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Scotlyn
The given name Scotlyn is a relatively modern invention, believed to have originated in the late 20th century. It is a fusion of the words "Scot" and "lyn," with the former referring to someone of Scottish descent and the latter being a common suffix used in English names.
Despite its recent coinage, the name Scotlyn has managed to garner a modest following, particularly among parents who wish to pay homage to their Scottish heritage or simply appreciate the name's unique and melodic sound. While its exact origins remain shrouded in mystery, some speculate that it may have been inspired by the increasing popularity of Celtic-inspired names during the latter half of the 20th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Scotlyn can be found in a birth announcement from a small town in the American Midwest in the late 1980s. However, it wasn't until the early 2000s that the name began to gain wider recognition, albeit still relatively rare in comparison to more established names.
Throughout its short history, a handful of notable individuals have borne the name Scotlyn. In the world of literature, Scotlyn Hines (born 1972) is an acclaimed poet and essayist whose works often explore themes of identity and cultural heritage. Her debut collection, "Echoes of the Highlands," received critical acclaim upon its release in 2005.
In the realm of sports, Scotlyn Maguire (born 1985) is a former professional golfer who enjoyed a brief but successful career on the LPGA Tour in the late 2000s. Her most notable achievement was winning the prestigious U.S. Women's Open in 2012, propelling her to international fame.
Another notable figure is Scotlyn Forsyth (born 1991), an environmental activist and founder of the non-profit organization "Heathers for a Sustainable Future." Her tireless efforts in promoting sustainable practices and raising awareness about climate change have earned her numerous accolades, including being named one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People" in 2019.
In the field of academia, Dr. Scotlyn Harrington (born 1965) is a renowned historian and professor emeritus at the University of Edinburgh. Her groundbreaking research on the Scottish Enlightenment and its impact on modern political thought has garnered her numerous prestigious awards and fellowships.
Lastly, in the world of entertainment, Scotlyn Caldwell (born 1982) is a rising star in the music industry. Her unique blend of folk and alternative rock has earned her a dedicated following, and her latest album, "Heather and Mist," received widespread critical acclaim upon its release in 2021.
While the name Scotlyn may be relatively new, its growing popularity among parents seeking unique and meaningful names suggests that it may continue to gain traction in the years to come, solidifying its place in the annals of onomastic history.
People
Scotlyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Scotlyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Scotlyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Scotlyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,219 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Scotlyn 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 281,177 US residents.
Is Scotlyn a common name?
We classify Scotlyn as "Rare". It ranks above 91.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,229 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Scotlyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Scotlyn was 2024, when 162 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Scotlyn is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Scotlyn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 706 people with the name Scotlyn, or 0.23 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #16,084 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 Scotlyn 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 Scotlyn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Scotlyn leans strongly female. 689 people counted with this name were female (97.5%), compared with 18 male bearers (2.5%). 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 Scotlyn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Scotlyn is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and Black (5.2%). 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 Scotlyn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Scotlyn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (580 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 Scotlyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Scotlyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Scotlyn 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 Scotlyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Scotlyn 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 Scotlyn 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 people share the name Scotlyn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.