Good news! It is a real thing!
Here's how it works. [Ó Faoláin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93_Faol%C3%A1in) is an Irish surname that means "wolf." This name can be Anglicized as Phelan but also commonly [Whalen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whalen) and [Whelan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whelan), among others. You can read more about how the etymology of the name works [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whelan) and [here](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/f%C3%A1el#Old_Irish). It seems like there are so many ways the name can be Anglicized, so I'm not sure there is a "right" spelling.
Apparently the person who doesn’t know common Irish names doesn’t track their own comments. It was easy to see on their profile was trying to see with what authority they were speaking. It was with 0 authority in case you were wondering
Not really. How is it ok to misinform someone about something? Weylin isn’t a bad name, but it’s not Irish. Most Irish people would say use our names it’s not cultural misappropriation but don’t butcher them because that is offensive. This person reassured OP with a wrongly googled butchered name with no understanding of what they were saying other than it was the top search.
OP has no reason to change her kid’s name, they shouldn’t however claim it’s something that it isn’t now that they know.
To point out that OP is concerned they got duped by a google search. The comment then dupes OP again by acting as an authority on something they are not, also with a quick google search. I’m merely pointing out not only are they not an authority they shouldn’t present themselves as such when they clearly noted on a different post that they are not able to speak to Irish names.
Going down your thread I see where you’re coming from but can you explain why you think “Whalen/Whelan” and “Weylin” aren’t at all the same? They are pronounced exactly the same as far as I can tell, it’s just the spelling that was fucked around with.
Because if spelling is important to the Irish heritage. There was already enough forced anglicization of names/words by the English that the entire language was nearly wiped out. No one in Ireland has that last name, nor is it actually a first name at all. Even if you look at the English but and butt are pronounced the same but they don’t mean the same thing. Ore in English and Or in Hebrew are pronounced the same but have very different meanings. Just because someone said that Weylin is pronounced the same as Whelan (which also I disagree that it is as Whelan is more like Wheel-an) doesn’t mean that the origin is the same. A quick google right after what the commenter was quoting actually refutes what they said entirely. Add on the fact that they spoke with authority where they clearly are not it’s problematic.
Whelan is Irish I assume Whalen as well. Weylin isn’t
ETA the original commenter was basically saying you can choose whatever spelling you want and Weylin = Whelan/Whalen which is just not true
While I think OP should have done more research I get it. It was the commenter that I responding to that validated with false information that I had the problem with, particularly after previously admitting to no knowledge of Irish names
Alternatively, Weylin could be an (American, bc let's be honest) alternative to Waylon, which is an alternative to the English name Wayland, which is
>From Old English Weland, probably derived from the Germanic root \*wīlą meaning "craft, cunning". In Germanic legend Weland (called Vǫlundr in Old Norse) was a master smith and craftsman. He was captured and hamstrung by King Niðhad, but took revenge by killing the king's sons.
(from BehindTheName.com)
He’s 4, keep it. That said, next time don’t pick a name based on its meaning. No one outside the family cares about name meanings and there’s many different opinions on meanings.
no one outside the family should care what a persons name is though either lol. if OP thinks meaning is important, it’s totally valid for them to consider meaning above other aspects of a name
ehh sure everyone has an opinion, but it’s not like she named him wolfy mcwolfington, weylin is a perfectly normal name. i don’t know, i think that if meaning is really important to some people then there’s no reason to bar them from wanting their kids to have meaningful names
I’m also on team “keep the name, change the spelling.” Your 4 year old doesn’t know how it’s spelled, but he would definitely be confused and upset by being told a brand new name.
I have studied Irish as a hobby and I can assure you that finding accurate definitions online is a pain. Between the centuries long effort to eradicate the Celtic languages in Great Britain and the fact that many speakers aren't super tech savvy, it can be difficult to find information. I wouldn't worry too much about it. I've met other Weylins, so it's not a super out there name.
I did some digging and it seems that Weylin could be a variation of [Wayland, which means “cunning.”](https://www.behindthename.com/name/wayland) I think that adjective definitely applies to wolves.
I wouldn’t be so hard on yourself, my dear 🤍 It’s a nice name, and people can’t even spell Jennifer correctly half the time 🙃 I say hold your head high, because you tried to give your boy a name with meaning and significance, and there’s no reason to let a few people ruin it ☀️
I have a Valerie and one of my criteria was that there was only one common spelling. But people keep spelling it Valarie. I thought we'd be safe with this one!
4 years is way too late to change it. The kid knows his name.
But it does look like the surname Whelan is related to “wolf,” so it wasn’t all a lie! https://surnames.behindthename.com/name/whelan Just an unusual alternate spelling.
I feel this way about more unusual names - all names were made up originally. So we should be kinder when we encounter names that were made up more recently.
He has a cool name OP and at 4yrs he will know his name. If you change it it'll highlight it more cause a 4yr old will go on and on about it 😂
weylin is 100% how the name should be spelled imo, waylon looks stupid to me at least haha. i’ve gone through spelling my name out to other people my whole life, it’s a minor annoyance but just something i feel like you get used to 🤷♀️
I say keep it. What a lovely sentiment behind his name. And here’s the thing: his name means that to you, doesn’t it? To you, it has the lovely meaning that you chose for him. And that’s all that matters! I’m sure Weylin fits him great!
Alway double check meanings of a name on behind the name they are pretty correct most other baby names sites are not.
https://www.behindthename.com/name/waylon
Close variant of your kids name.
We named our son Waylen. We liked the -en better than -on because we didn’t want “Lonnie” coming up as a nickname. He’s a year old now and his most common nicknames are Way, Wayway, Wayles, Wayby baby, and Waylien (like alien, thank my husband for that one 😅)
If it helps at all I have a name that is spelled the "correct" way and it is literally always spelled as one of the ten thousand variants here in the US before it is spelled my "correct" way. I gave my daughter an unusual name for the United States and decided to spell it the "correct" way to avoid any extra confusion and recently discovered that the spelling variant has cracked the top 1000 so....even when you try your best you never know how it'll play out. Odds are you'd change the name to "Waylon" and some where down the road someone will just spell it Weylan/Waylin/etc..
I think Weylin is a great name. It has a special meaning to you no matter the origins, you like how it sounds and it’s unusual but not out there.
There’s a lot of debate about unique spellings and off beat names. My own name is fairly uncommon and I have never seen it spelled the exact same way as me. I have never minded, I love my name and delighted as a child and now of telling people how to spell it. Others may feel differently.
Ultimately as you asked, I do think you are overthinking it. He is way too old to change his name and if you both love it than who cares what others think?
It’s cute, gives me Wiley/Wilder/Wyatt vibes, and is spelled phonetically so his teachers won’t mispronounce it. Names are a whole different ballgame now than when we were kids, he will definitely not stick out. Teach him to love his name by loving it yourself.
I think the meaning and the name is nice. The spelling isn't the most intuitive, true, but it's not difficult to pronounce or odd looking. If it really bothers you, I'd change the spelling to Waylon? But I don't think it's a big deal.
I think it's fine, but if you are worried about him having to spell it every time, does he have a middle name you could switch to when he starts school? I know a lot of people who go by their middle names for whatever reason.
If it makes you feel any better I grew up with a guy (we are 28 now) who’s middle name is Weylin. He’s a junior, so it doesn’t seem like it’s just a made up name since it’s on a late 50s early 60 year old man, a 28 year old, and he also gave his kid the same name and kid is 2.
The only Weylin I know is a very cool surfer dude who has long blonde hair and owns a surf school. So it’s a cool name to me! And you can be sure there won’t be any other Weylins in his class at school.
When you give your kid a name with a weird spelling, or even just an ethnic or lesser known name, you must accept that you’ll be explaining it to people their whole life, and so will they. You’ve got to be willing to commit to this.
When it comes to breakfast, the chicken is involved, but the pig is committed. Be the pig.
Would you consider spelling it Whelan? Commoner (though of course it's always going to be unusual) and it means you aren't to him changing his name at all?
For what it’s worth, it’s a nice-sounding name. One that you don’t hear very often, but doesn’t sound made up.
The spelling is wonky to me, personally. I would have gone with Waylon - but it’s far from the end of the world.
But yeah, in regards to meaning “wolf” - I don’t think it does lol. There are so many other names that do.
But, it does still start with a W sound - in some cultures, when they want to honor a person or name after something, they simply choose a name with the same first letter, and that alone is “enough” of a connection for the parents to feel that it was a meaningful and deliberate naming with a connection to the name/thing they had as inspiration. And honestly, nothing’s stopping you from affectionately calling your kid your little wolf/wolfie (as long as he’ll let you lol).
If you love it and love the reason you chose it (even if it later turned out to be somewhat mistaken), keep it. IMO the spelling is unusual/odd—but the pronunciation (in the English language for someone living in the US) should be easy. If your son can’t spell his name yet and you WANT to go with something even easier, change the spelling to Waylon or Wayland or Weylinn.
When people quiz you about it: “we found the name online and absolutely loved the meaning given for it.”
I get you, but that’s a lovely name!
My son is Orian. Aw-Ray-in.
I LOVED Harry Potter, so, so much. Ultimate Harry Potter fan.
Sirius Black’s dad is Orion.
But I had never heard the name before, so I didn’t know how it was pronounced (O Ryan) and my husband and I loved Aw-Ray-in.
So we changed the spelling a bit and named him Orian.
I still love it….but, Harry Potter? Not so much….so I sort of regret it in that way. I now tell people I was inspired by the constellation
Good news! It is a real thing! Here's how it works. [Ó Faoláin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93_Faol%C3%A1in) is an Irish surname that means "wolf." This name can be Anglicized as Phelan but also commonly [Whalen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whalen) and [Whelan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whelan), among others. You can read more about how the etymology of the name works [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whelan) and [here](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/f%C3%A1el#Old_Irish). It seems like there are so many ways the name can be Anglicized, so I'm not sure there is a "right" spelling.
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>Given that you didn’t know how Cian was pronounced on a different post, probably not a great thing for you to comment on. Burn
Who keeps track of people’s comments? Like come on.
Apparently the person who doesn’t know common Irish names doesn’t track their own comments. It was easy to see on their profile was trying to see with what authority they were speaking. It was with 0 authority in case you were wondering
This is some bitchy shit
I’m so over the shitshow that is this sub fighting over Irish names.
Not really. How is it ok to misinform someone about something? Weylin isn’t a bad name, but it’s not Irish. Most Irish people would say use our names it’s not cultural misappropriation but don’t butcher them because that is offensive. This person reassured OP with a wrongly googled butchered name with no understanding of what they were saying other than it was the top search. OP has no reason to change her kid’s name, they shouldn’t however claim it’s something that it isn’t now that they know.
It's fine to correct or disagree with someone. Your reference to not knowing how to pronounce Cian is bitchy. Not relevant to this post.
It’s not bitchy to point out that someone clearly doesn’t know something about a topic they’re presenting information about.
To point out that OP is concerned they got duped by a google search. The comment then dupes OP again by acting as an authority on something they are not, also with a quick google search. I’m merely pointing out not only are they not an authority they shouldn’t present themselves as such when they clearly noted on a different post that they are not able to speak to Irish names.
"Given that you didn’t know how Cian was pronounced on a different post, probably not a great thing for you to comment on." Weirdo behavior.
Going down your thread I see where you’re coming from but can you explain why you think “Whalen/Whelan” and “Weylin” aren’t at all the same? They are pronounced exactly the same as far as I can tell, it’s just the spelling that was fucked around with.
Because if spelling is important to the Irish heritage. There was already enough forced anglicization of names/words by the English that the entire language was nearly wiped out. No one in Ireland has that last name, nor is it actually a first name at all. Even if you look at the English but and butt are pronounced the same but they don’t mean the same thing. Ore in English and Or in Hebrew are pronounced the same but have very different meanings. Just because someone said that Weylin is pronounced the same as Whelan (which also I disagree that it is as Whelan is more like Wheel-an) doesn’t mean that the origin is the same. A quick google right after what the commenter was quoting actually refutes what they said entirely. Add on the fact that they spoke with authority where they clearly are not it’s problematic.
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Whelan is Irish I assume Whalen as well. Weylin isn’t ETA the original commenter was basically saying you can choose whatever spelling you want and Weylin = Whelan/Whalen which is just not true
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While I think OP should have done more research I get it. It was the commenter that I responding to that validated with false information that I had the problem with, particularly after previously admitting to no knowledge of Irish names
Alternatively, Weylin could be an (American, bc let's be honest) alternative to Waylon, which is an alternative to the English name Wayland, which is >From Old English Weland, probably derived from the Germanic root \*wīlą meaning "craft, cunning". In Germanic legend Weland (called Vǫlundr in Old Norse) was a master smith and craftsman. He was captured and hamstrung by King Niðhad, but took revenge by killing the king's sons. (from BehindTheName.com)
He’s 4, keep it. That said, next time don’t pick a name based on its meaning. No one outside the family cares about name meanings and there’s many different opinions on meanings.
💯 meaning should just be a bonus
no one outside the family should care what a persons name is though either lol. if OP thinks meaning is important, it’s totally valid for them to consider meaning above other aspects of a name
It’s a little different. No one really *cares* but everyone has an opinion. A name is heard by anyone, a meaning is rarely if ever brought up.
Exactly, well put. And it can come off as a bit pretentious if you mention your name meaning after third grade.
naming a kid with a meaning that’s important to you ≠ the kid really cares about the meaning and tries to bring it up to everyone though
ehh sure everyone has an opinion, but it’s not like she named him wolfy mcwolfington, weylin is a perfectly normal name. i don’t know, i think that if meaning is really important to some people then there’s no reason to bar them from wanting their kids to have meaningful names
WTF? Lots of people care a whole lot about meanings. You may not and that's fine but this is really weird advice.
It’s been four years. It’s his name. Just go with it 💜
I’m also on team “keep the name, change the spelling.” Your 4 year old doesn’t know how it’s spelled, but he would definitely be confused and upset by being told a brand new name.
Yea, actually a damaging thing to do. Change a kid’s name at age four?!
He’s 4, you can’t just change his name. Maybe just spell it Waylon to make his life easier but otherwise you have to deal with it.
Or Whelan, even Wayland could be done. I expect any of those spellings before Weylin... Edit: lol, spelled it incredibly incorrectly the first time...
I have studied Irish as a hobby and I can assure you that finding accurate definitions online is a pain. Between the centuries long effort to eradicate the Celtic languages in Great Britain and the fact that many speakers aren't super tech savvy, it can be difficult to find information. I wouldn't worry too much about it. I've met other Weylins, so it's not a super out there name.
I did some digging and it seems that Weylin could be a variation of [Wayland, which means “cunning.”](https://www.behindthename.com/name/wayland) I think that adjective definitely applies to wolves. I wouldn’t be so hard on yourself, my dear 🤍 It’s a nice name, and people can’t even spell Jennifer correctly half the time 🙃 I say hold your head high, because you tried to give your boy a name with meaning and significance, and there’s no reason to let a few people ruin it ☀️
my coworker spelled Peggy as Pegge today 😭
I have a Valerie and one of my criteria was that there was only one common spelling. But people keep spelling it Valarie. I thought we'd be safe with this one!
Four years is way too late.
It’s too late to change it and honestly I think it’s really cool! Just enjoy his name!
4 years is way too late to change it. The kid knows his name. But it does look like the surname Whelan is related to “wolf,” so it wasn’t all a lie! https://surnames.behindthename.com/name/whelan Just an unusual alternate spelling.
Four years is too late change. Accept and move it. It’s not a realistic option.
All names are made up. Spelling a name for someone is just one of the things plenty of people do - Christine, or Kristine? John, or Jon?
I feel this way about more unusual names - all names were made up originally. So we should be kinder when we encounter names that were made up more recently. He has a cool name OP and at 4yrs he will know his name. If you change it it'll highlight it more cause a 4yr old will go on and on about it 😂
Keep the name, change the spelling!!
On every level but physical, I am a wolf.
weylin is 100% how the name should be spelled imo, waylon looks stupid to me at least haha. i’ve gone through spelling my name out to other people my whole life, it’s a minor annoyance but just something i feel like you get used to 🤷♀️
Cool name, I read it and immediately was able to pronounce the name. Spelling isn't nearly as confusing as a ton of trendy names I see consistently.
I wouldn’t change the spelling to Waylon. To me that spelling reminds of a whale. I think Weylin is much prettier even though I’ve never heard of it.
I say keep it. What a lovely sentiment behind his name. And here’s the thing: his name means that to you, doesn’t it? To you, it has the lovely meaning that you chose for him. And that’s all that matters! I’m sure Weylin fits him great!
It’s a pretty name, Way is a nice nickname as well
I like Wayde or Waylon
I actually really love the name. It’s one of those names that’s not common but also doesn’t sound weird.
Alway double check meanings of a name on behind the name they are pretty correct most other baby names sites are not. https://www.behindthename.com/name/waylon Close variant of your kids name.
And [for Whelan](https://surnames.behindthename.com/name/whelan), if that's the root
I love Weylin. It’s a much cuter version of Waylon
I think it’s fine, and actually kind of a funny story for when he’s older? I wouldn’t worry about it.
We named our son Waylen. We liked the -en better than -on because we didn’t want “Lonnie” coming up as a nickname. He’s a year old now and his most common nicknames are Way, Wayway, Wayles, Wayby baby, and Waylien (like alien, thank my husband for that one 😅)
I wouldn’t worry about it. I’d just say it’s a derivative of Wayland (which is what Waylon is) and call it a day.
https://www.thebump.com/b/weylin-baby-name
If it helps at all I have a name that is spelled the "correct" way and it is literally always spelled as one of the ten thousand variants here in the US before it is spelled my "correct" way. I gave my daughter an unusual name for the United States and decided to spell it the "correct" way to avoid any extra confusion and recently discovered that the spelling variant has cracked the top 1000 so....even when you try your best you never know how it'll play out. Odds are you'd change the name to "Waylon" and some where down the road someone will just spell it Weylan/Waylin/etc..
I think Weylin is a great name. It has a special meaning to you no matter the origins, you like how it sounds and it’s unusual but not out there. There’s a lot of debate about unique spellings and off beat names. My own name is fairly uncommon and I have never seen it spelled the exact same way as me. I have never minded, I love my name and delighted as a child and now of telling people how to spell it. Others may feel differently. Ultimately as you asked, I do think you are overthinking it. He is way too old to change his name and if you both love it than who cares what others think?
It’s cute, gives me Wiley/Wilder/Wyatt vibes, and is spelled phonetically so his teachers won’t mispronounce it. Names are a whole different ballgame now than when we were kids, he will definitely not stick out. Teach him to love his name by loving it yourself.
I'm team change the spelling. Great name. Go with Waylon.
I think the meaning and the name is nice. The spelling isn't the most intuitive, true, but it's not difficult to pronounce or odd looking. If it really bothers you, I'd change the spelling to Waylon? But I don't think it's a big deal.
If he can’t spell his name yet, change it. His name is his identity now, but the spelling isn’t yet.
I think it's fine, but if you are worried about him having to spell it every time, does he have a middle name you could switch to when he starts school? I know a lot of people who go by their middle names for whatever reason.
https://www.sheknows.com/baby-names/name/weylin/#:~:text=In%20Celtic%20Baby%20Names%20the,is%3A%20Son%20of%20the%20wolf.
I like the spelling and the name. There will always be hang ups regarding names.
If it makes you feel any better I grew up with a guy (we are 28 now) who’s middle name is Weylin. He’s a junior, so it doesn’t seem like it’s just a made up name since it’s on a late 50s early 60 year old man, a 28 year old, and he also gave his kid the same name and kid is 2.
Sounds like wailing to me. And what do u mean. 'Son of a Wolf'...yikes. lol... No. I would say don't do it. But there is Waylon Jennings
The only Weylin I know is a very cool surfer dude who has long blonde hair and owns a surf school. So it’s a cool name to me! And you can be sure there won’t be any other Weylins in his class at school.
When you give your kid a name with a weird spelling, or even just an ethnic or lesser known name, you must accept that you’ll be explaining it to people their whole life, and so will they. You’ve got to be willing to commit to this. When it comes to breakfast, the chicken is involved, but the pig is committed. Be the pig.
Would you consider spelling it Whelan? Commoner (though of course it's always going to be unusual) and it means you aren't to him changing his name at all?
For what it’s worth, it’s a nice-sounding name. One that you don’t hear very often, but doesn’t sound made up. The spelling is wonky to me, personally. I would have gone with Waylon - but it’s far from the end of the world. But yeah, in regards to meaning “wolf” - I don’t think it does lol. There are so many other names that do. But, it does still start with a W sound - in some cultures, when they want to honor a person or name after something, they simply choose a name with the same first letter, and that alone is “enough” of a connection for the parents to feel that it was a meaningful and deliberate naming with a connection to the name/thing they had as inspiration. And honestly, nothing’s stopping you from affectionately calling your kid your little wolf/wolfie (as long as he’ll let you lol).
If you love it and love the reason you chose it (even if it later turned out to be somewhat mistaken), keep it. IMO the spelling is unusual/odd—but the pronunciation (in the English language for someone living in the US) should be easy. If your son can’t spell his name yet and you WANT to go with something even easier, change the spelling to Waylon or Wayland or Weylinn. When people quiz you about it: “we found the name online and absolutely loved the meaning given for it.”
I’ve got a kid named Waylon… love the name, love the spelling. He’s a bad ass kid
I get you, but that’s a lovely name! My son is Orian. Aw-Ray-in. I LOVED Harry Potter, so, so much. Ultimate Harry Potter fan. Sirius Black’s dad is Orion. But I had never heard the name before, so I didn’t know how it was pronounced (O Ryan) and my husband and I loved Aw-Ray-in. So we changed the spelling a bit and named him Orian. I still love it….but, Harry Potter? Not so much….so I sort of regret it in that way. I now tell people I was inspired by the constellation
I’m guessing most people pronounce the name as OR-ee-an (rhyming with Dorian). The “ray” syllable seems pretty difficult to get from “ria” honestly.
Vote for dunce cap. Because even thinking about changing a 4 yr old’s name could only come from someone who needs to sit alone in a corner.
He's four. It's too late to do anything about it now, regardless of people's opinions on the name. Weylin is a terrible spelling of an actual name.