Given name & surname
Devlin
“having fierce bravery; a misfortunate man”
Devlin is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “having fierce bravery; a misfortunate man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “having fierce bravery; a misfortunate man.”
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1957. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Devlin through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,442
- 3,247 boys · 195 girls
- Most popular year
- 2007
- 146 babies
- 2025
- 13
- #6,547 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −41%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 89% boys.
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 13 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 6,547 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 43.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 140 in 2007. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,964 as a first name in 2020; 12,430 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Devlin’s family of names
In English usage, Devlin as a surname shares an earlier linguistic root with Dolan. Devlin has a related form in Devlyn. Devlin has a related form in Devlon.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Devlin
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Devlin, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Torrin
“from the craggy hills”
98% boys · 2% girls
Kelan
“a slender and beautiful woman” · “a slender man”
>99% boys
Kean
“a warrior” · “one who is sharp”
>99% boys
Euan
“the little swift one”
>99% boys
Ean
“God is gracious”
>99% boys
Keelan
“a slender and beautiful woman” · “a slender man”
95% boys · 5% girls
Conlan
“a hero”
>99% boys
Creighton
“from the border town”
99% boys · 1% girls