Given name & surname · also Germanic
Dillon
“resembling a lion; a faithful man”
Dillon is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “resembling a lion; a faithful man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “resembling a lion; a faithful man.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Germanic.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1892. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Dillon through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 66,270
- 65,225 boys · 1,045 girls
- Most popular year
- 1992
- 5,082 babies
- 2025
- 294
- #930 for boys · #3,658 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −31%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 89% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 253 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 930 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 34.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 5,062 in 1992. It also appeared in 41 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (27). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 57,539 as a first name in 2020; 47,767 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.
Dillon’s family of names
Dillon has an alternative spelling in Dylan. Dillon has a related form in Dylan. Dillon has a related form in Dillan.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 17
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Dillon
- Dillon BrooksCanadian basketball player (born 1996)
- Dillon FrancisAmerican DJ and record producerborn 1987
- Dillon CaseyAmerican actorborn 1983
- Dillon PowersAmerican soccer playerborn 1991
- DillonBrazilian singer and pianistborn 1988
- Curley RussellAmerican jazz musician (1917–1986)
- Dillon DubéCanadian ice hockey player (born 1998)
- Dillon JonesAmerican basketball player (born 2001)
- Dillon De SilvaSri Lankan association football playerborn 2002
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Dillon, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Cameron
“crooked nose”
90% boys · 10% girls
Grant
“large” · “a tall man; a great man”
>99% boys
Logan
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91% boys · 9% girls
Rhys
“ardour” · “having great enthusiasm for life”
95% boys · 5% girls
Graham
“from the gravelled area; from the gray home”
>99% boys
Ryan
“the little ruler; little king”
90% boys · 10% girls
Duncan
“a dark warrior”
>99% boys
Aidan
“one who is fiery; little fire” · “a fiery young man”
99% boys · 1% girls