Meaning & origin
What it means
Palin goes back to Welsh ap Heilyn, meaning “son of Heilyn.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2008. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Palin through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 148
- 0 boys · 148 girls
- Most popular year
- 2009
- 39 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 2020. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 39 in 2009. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 186 as a first name in 2020; 1,051 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.
Palin’s family of names
In English usage, Palin as a surname has a related form in PALING. In English usage, Palin as a surname has a related form in PALING. In English usage, Palin as a surname has a related form in PELLING.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Similar names
If you love Palin, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Mabyn
“one who is forever young”
>99% girls
Megyn
Megyn is a feminine given name from Welsh.
>99% girls
Aderyn
“birdlike child”
>99% girls
Heavin
Heavin is a surname, possibly from Welsh.
>99% girls
Rhedyn
“resembling a fern”
>99% girls
Deryn
“a birdlike woman”
20% boys · 80% girls
Anwen
“a famed beauty”
>99% girls
Cerys
“one who is dearly loved”
>99% girls