Dylan, one of America's most popular water-inspired names for boys, is derived from the Welsh elements dy, meaning "toward," and llanw, meaning "tide" or "flow." As a baby name, it translates to "toward the tide" or "son of the sea." In Welsh mythology, Dylan ail Don is a sea demigod and aquatic hero. It started gaining popularity in the U.S. in the 1960s, cracked the top-200 for the first time in 1985 and has now been a top-100 boy's name every year since 1990. As evidenced by "Today" meteorologist Dylan Dreyer, the name also works well for baby girls.
