Waylan is a spelling of Waylon, which goes back to Wayland, the legendary master smith of Germanic and Old English myth; his name, Old English Weland, is of uncertain meaning and is usually explained as "skilled craftsman" or "land by the road". Country singer Waylon Jennings made the name an American classic. In the United States Waylan ranked number 4776 in 2000, peaked at number 2336 in 2019 and stood at number 2599 in 2025 with 51 boys.