Palin

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Palin

Pronounced PAY-lin /ˈpeɪ.lɪn/Medium

Meaning: Palin is chiefly an English surname — from a place-name, and borne by figures such as the comedian Michael Palin — used here as a given name. As a first name it carries no separate traditional meaning beyond its surname source.Low

In 30 seconds: Palin is a surname turned given name, English in origin, with no separate traditional meaning (said 'PAY-lin').

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Origin LowEnglish

MeaningPalin is chiefly an English surname — from a place-name, and borne by figures such as the comedian Michael Palin — used here as a given name. As a first name it carries no separate traditional meaning beyond its surname source.

U.S. rank (2020)#16922 ↗ Rising

2020 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year2009

Total births (all-time)≈ 148

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

Palin is best known as an English surname, from a place-name and carried by public figures, and it is used here as a transferred first name. Its span and small peak fall in the late 2000s, when the surname was widely in the news; as a given name it has no meaning apart from that surname source.

It was never common as a first name, given to only a few dozen girls a year at its brief peak around 2009, and it quickly returned to rarity.

Did you know? Palin's brief appearance as a girls' given name lines up in time with the surname's national prominence in the late 2000s.

Overall data confidence 42%

References — Palin — English surname used as given name; late-2000s surname prominence

Variations

Paylin

Nicknames

PalLin

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Palin…

Harlow— a like surname-turned-girls'-name of the same era

Monroe— another surname adopted as a girls' first name

Everly— shares the modern surname-style girls'-name trend

Hadley— a like two-beat surname-name popular in the period

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Palin mean?

Palin is an English surname, from a place-name, used here as a given name; it has no separate first-name meaning.

How do you pronounce Palin?

It's said PAY-lin /ˈpeɪ.lɪn/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Palin a boy or girl name?

Palin is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Palin?

Palin has always been rare in the U.S. as a girls' given name.