Waylon (English)
Where does "Waylon" come from?
The given name Waylon is a variant of the name Wayland[1]. The older form descends from Old English 'Wēland', which traces back through Proto-West Germanic '*Wēlandu' to Proto-Germanic '*Wē₂landuz'[2]. The modern variant spelling was popularized by the American singer Waylon Jennings[1].
Open questions
- The Proto-Germanic and Proto-West Germanic forms are reconstructed. [2]
Full etymology tree
- Waylon (English), 'A male given name.'
- derived Wayland (English), 'A legendary blacksmith in Germanic mythology.'
- inherited Weland (Old English), 'Wayland, a smith of Germanic legend'
- inherited *Wēlandu (Proto-West Germanic)
- inherited *Wē₂landuz (Proto-Germanic), 'Wayland, a great smith in Germanic legend, brother of Egil'
- inherited *Wēlandu (Proto-West Germanic)
- inherited Weland (Old English), 'Wayland, a smith of Germanic legend'
- derived Wayland (English), 'A legendary blacksmith in Germanic mythology.'
Sources
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris