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Gaylyn
How to Pronounce Gaylyn
Pronounced GAY-lin /ˈɡeɪ.lɪn/Medium
Meaning: Gaylyn pairs Gay, once a given name carrying its plain sense of 'merry, lighthearted', with Lynn, the tremendously popular mid-century suffix drawn from Welsh 'lake'. It is a made compound of its moment rather than an inherited name.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
Gaylyn is an American compound name marrying Gay, an older given name meaning 'merry', to the suffix Lynn, from the Welsh word for 'lake' that became a mid-century naming craze. It first shows up in the 1940s and reached a modest high around 1962.
It was never common, given to only a couple dozen girls a year at its peak, so a Gaylyn from that year would be in her sixties today. As a coinage tied to the older sense of its first half, it reads as firmly dated rather than reviving.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Gaylyn mean?
It is a compound of Gay, meaning 'merry', and the suffix Lynn.
How do you pronounce Gaylyn?
It's said GAY-lin /ˈɡeɪ.lɪn/, two syllables with the stress up front.
Is Gaylyn a boy or girl name?
Gaylyn is used as a girl's name.
How popular is Gaylyn?
It has always been rare, given to only a couple dozen girls a year at its high point in the early nineteen-sixties.