Meaning & origin
A reliable meaning for Ethelyn isn’t established in our sources yet. Rather than guess, we show what is recorded: how the name is used, how often, and the names it’s connected to.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ethelyn through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,450
- 0 boys · 4,450 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 168 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 2014. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 168 in 1920. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 991 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.
Ethelyn’s family of names
Inner ring: spellings · outer: across languages.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Ethelyn
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ethelyn, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Estell
Estell is a surname.
12% boys · 88% girls
Elvera
“a-truthful woman; one who can be trusted”
>99% girls
Elease
>99% girls
Exie
>99% girls
Elvina
“a friend of the elves”
>99% girls
Ethyl
Ethyl is a feminine given name from Old English.
>99% girls
Eldora
“a gift of the sun”
>99% girls
Albertine
“noble and bright”
>99% girls