Vaylen
A name of possible Scottish origin, possibly meaning "wanderer" or "valley".
Name Census estimates that about 108 living Americans carry the first name Vaylen. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 86.2% of registrations being male. The average person named Vaylen today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vaylen births was 2023 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vaylen. 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.
People living today
108
~ 1 in 3,173,651 Americans
Peak year
2023
19 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,680
Tracked since 2009
Gender
Gender distribution for Vaylen
Vaylen leans heavily male at 86.2% of total registrations, but 15 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Vaylen as a male name
- Ranked #7,680 in 2024
- 11 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (14 births)
Vaylen as a female name
- Ranked #17,464 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2019 (5 births)
Popularity
Vaylen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vaylen from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 59 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
Vaylen 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 Vaylen 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 Vaylen
The given name Vaylen is believed to have originated from the ancient Etruscan civilization that flourished in what is now modern-day Italy around the 8th century BC. It is thought to be derived from the Etruscan word "valen," which meant "strong" or "powerful." The name was likely used to denote a person of strength and fortitude.
In the early days of the Roman Republic, there are records of a few individuals bearing the name Vaylen or similar variations such as Valenus or Valenius. One notable example is Marcus Valenius Messalla, a Roman statesman and orator who lived from around 64 BC to 8 AD. He was known for his skill in public speaking and his support for the Roman emperor Augustus.
During the Middle Ages, the name Vaylen fell out of common usage in most parts of Europe. However, it resurfaced in the 15th century as a variant of the more widely known name Valentin. In this context, Vaylen was often used as a nickname or diminutive form of Valentin, particularly in certain regions of France and Germany.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Vaylen was Vaylen de Montfort, a French nobleman who lived from 1412 to 1488. He was a respected military commander and played a significant role in the Hundred Years' War between England and France.
In the 16th century, the name Vaylen gained some popularity in certain parts of Eastern Europe, particularly in regions that were influenced by Slavic languages. One notable figure from this period was Vaylen Voronin, a Russian explorer and cartographer who lived from 1548 to 1618. He was known for his extensive travels through Siberia and his contributions to mapping the region.
Another historical figure with the name Vaylen was Vaylen Tsvetkov, a Bulgarian revolutionary and writer who lived from 1825 to 1892. He was a prominent figure in the struggle for Bulgarian independence from the Ottoman Empire and was known for his literary works that helped shape the Bulgarian national identity.
While the name Vaylen has never been extremely common, it has maintained a presence throughout history in various cultures and regions. Its origins can be traced back to the ancient Etruscan civilization, and it has evolved and been adapted over the centuries, reflecting the diverse cultural influences that have shaped its usage.
People
Vaylen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vaylen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Vaylen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vaylen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 108 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vaylen 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 3,173,651 US residents.
Is Vaylen a common name?
We classify Vaylen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 109 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vaylen most popular?
The single biggest year for Vaylen was 2023, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vaylen is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Vaylen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vaylen a male name?
Yes, 86.2% of people registered as Vaylen in the SSA data are male. 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 Vaylen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vaylen 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 Vaylen 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Vaylen?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Vaylen at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.