Given name
Dilys
“a perfect woman; one who is reliable”
Dilys is used as a given name. One Welsh interpretation is “a perfect woman; one who is reliable.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Welsh interpretation is “a perfect woman; one who is reliable.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Welsh.
How it developed
The name draws on Welsh dilys, meaning “genuine, steadfast, true”.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1915. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Dilys through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 20
- 0 boys · 20 girls
- Most popular year
- 1915
- 5 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 1946. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 180 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Dilys’s family of names
Dilys has an affectionate form in Dilly. Dilys has a related form in Dil. Dilys has a related form in Dill.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
See also 4
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Dilys
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Dilys, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Olwen
“one who leaves a white footprint”
>99% girls
Morag
“one who embraces the sun”
>99% girls
Shevaun
“a humorous man”
>99% girls
Glenda
“one who is good and fair”
>99% girls
Seonaid
“a gift from God”
>99% girls
Columba
“dove” · “resembling a dove”
>99% girls
Ethnea
“a puzzle piece”
>99% girls
Gwendolen
“one who is fair; of the white ring”
>99% girls