Emlyn

EM-lin

Welsh, Latin

"around the valley; rival"

Emlyn Origin and Meaning

The name Emlyn is a boy's name of Welsh origin meaning "around the valley; rival".

Gentle and poetic and most often heard in Wales, Emlyn joins Emrys as soft, interesting alternatives to popular Em- names like Emmett and Emery. Sometimes viewed as a Welsh variation of Emiliano, it more likely comes from the Welsh em and glyn meaning "around the valley" (or possibly from llyn, giving it the meaning "around the lake").

Emlyn was one of the seven ancient districts of Wales and while it may lean feminine to American ears - perhaps as a spelling variant of Emmeline - there are plenty of masculine namesakes, including footballers Emlyn Williams, Emlyn Hughes and Emlyn Mulligan, Welsh Physicist Emlyn Rhoderick, and Emlyn A.G Watkins, a police officer awarded for bravery. Writer Jenny Nimmo also used it in her novel, Emlyn's Moon.

2023 saw a number of vintage rarities coming back into style in the US, and Emlyn was one of them. Used on more than 5 boys for the first time in a century, perhaps it could fit in with other rising choices like Ephraim and Ellis.

Popularity of the name Emlyn

• 1891 Nameberry 2025

20 Names Similar to Emlyn

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Emlyn.

• Einar
• Llywelyn
• Odhran
• Cathal
• Caedmon
• Thorsten
• Fingal
• Aneurin
• Everard
• Piran
• Owain
• Leonides
• Osric
• Audric
• Margalit
• Amaury
• Ettore
• Milas
• Faramond
• Ronia

Famous People Named Emlyn

• Emlyn Williams Welsh playwright and actor
• Emlyn Hughes Welsh footballer for Liverpool and England
• (Emlyn Hugh) Garner Evans British MP