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Carlyon
How to Pronounce Carlyon
Pronounced KAR-lee-on /ˈkɑːrliɒn/Medium
Meaning: Carlyon is a Cornish surname and place name, generally traced to Cornish words for a slate-rock or a fort by a ford. As a rare given name it can also read as an elaboration of Carly with an -on ending. Its meaning sits with the Cornish place name; the given-name use is modern and thin.Low
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Carlyon comes from Cornwall, where it names both places and families, its roots pointing to slate rock or a fort by a crossing. Its scattered American use as a girl's name likely also drew on the sound of Carly with a fashionable -on tail.
The name was never common, drawing only a couple dozen girls a year at its high around 1946 before fading. A woman named Carlyon then would be of a grandmother's generation; the name reads as an unusual surname-name rather than a mainstream choice, distinctive for its Cornish flavour.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Carlyon mean?
It is a Cornish surname and place name, tied to words for slate rock or a fort by a ford.
How do you pronounce Carlyon?
It's said KAR-lee-on /ˈkɑːrliɒn/, three syllables, stress on the first.
Is Carlyon a boy or girl name?
Carlyon has been used as a girl's name.
Is Carlyon a popular name?
No, it has always been rare, an unusual surname-name used lightly around the mid-twentieth century.