UK boy's name
Corbyn
From a Celtic origin, referring to a raven or raven-haired person.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2021. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Corbyn is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Corbyn popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2021 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3990, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2008, with 20 births.
This profile covers 270 England and Wales registrations across 24 recorded years from 1997 to 2021. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 20% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 288 living people in the UK are called Corbyn. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2022 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Corbyn ranked #3990 for boys in England and Wales in 2021, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2008, when 20 boys were registered as Corbyn.
- • Corbyn ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #415 in 2017.
- • About 288 living people in the UK are estimated to have Corbyn as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3990
2021
Births in 2021
4
Latest year
Peak year
2008
20 births
Estimated living
288
2026
Meaning
What does Corbyn mean?
The given name Corbyn is of Welsh origin, derived from the Welsh word "cor," meaning "a dwarf" or "a crow." It dates back to the Middle Ages and was initially used as a surname in Wales before later becoming a given name.
In the 13th century, the name Corbyn appeared in historical records as a surname, often spelled as "Corbin" or "Corbyn." One of the earliest recorded instances was Sir Corbyn Le Venur, a Norman knight who fought in the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
During the Middle Ages, the name Corbyn was also associated with the Corbenic, a mystical castle in Arthurian legend that housed the Holy Grail. This connection likely contributed to the name's popularity among Welsh and English families during that time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the given name Corbyn was Corbyn ap Gwilym (born around 1320), a Welsh poet and bard who lived during the late 13th and early 14th centuries. His works are regarded as significant contributions to the Welsh literary tradition.
In the 16th century, Corbyn Vychan (c. 1500-1570) was a Welsh landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Denbighshire. He was a prominent figure in the region and played a role in the local administration.
Another notable bearer of the name was Corbyn Morris (1710-1779), a Welsh clergyman and author who wrote several religious works and served as the rector of Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd in Denbighshire.
In the 19th century, Corbyn Corbett (1819-1888) was a British politician and landowner from Shropshire. He served as a Member of Parliament for Shropshire North from 1868 to 1880.
More recently, Corbyn Woodhill (1911-1995) was an Australian architect and academic known for his contributions to the modernist architectural movement in Australia. He designed several notable buildings, including the Sydney Opera House Studio and the University of Sydney's Merewether Building.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Corbyn over time
The chart below shows babies named Corbyn registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1997 to 2021. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Corbyn, the clearest high point is 2008. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2021, compared with 20 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Corbyn by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Corbyn was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #3919 | 8 | 2 |
| 2010s | #1695 | 126 | 9 |
| 2000s | #1610 | 122 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2259 | 14 | 3 |
Geography
Where Corbyn is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Corbyn. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Corbyn ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #415 in 2017.
Across the UK
Corbyn in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#442 in 2017
3 years of NRS records, 13 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#415 in 2017
2 years of NISRA records, 7 total registered
Related
Names similar to Corbyn
- Charlie 104,761
- Callum 65,796
- Connor 53,072
- Cameron 40,394
- Charles 33,091
- Christopher 26,849
- Caleb 15,553
- Corey 12,622
- Carter 11,505
- Cody 11,075
- Conor 10,298
- Christian 9,695
FAQ
Corbyn: questions and answers
How popular is the name Corbyn in the UK right now?
In 2021, Corbyn was ranked #3990 for boys in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Corbyn most popular?
The peak year on record was 2008, with 20 babies registered as Corbyn in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Corbyn?
From a Celtic origin, referring to a raven or raven-haired person.
How many people are called Corbyn in the UK?
A total of 270 babies have been registered as Corbyn across the 24 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 13 more in Scotland and 7 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Corbyn most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Corbyn ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #415 in 2017. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.