Ladon
A masculine name of Greek origin relating to dragons or serpents.
Name Census estimates that about 1,325 living Americans carry the first name Ladon. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 79.5% of registrations being male. The average person named Ladon today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ladon births was 1970 (42 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ladon. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 258,683 Americans
Peak year
1970
42 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,652
Tracked since 1930
Gender
Gender distribution for Ladon
Ladon is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,577 total registrations, 1,254 (79.5%) were male and 323 (20.5%) were female.
Ladon as a male name
- Ranked #6,652 in 2024
- 13 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2012 (29 births)
Ladon as a female name
- Ranked #12,596 in 1992
- 6 female births in 1992
- Peak: 1970 (23 births)
Popularity
Ladon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ladon from the 1930s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 287 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ladon by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ladon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ladons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Alabama, Michigan, Ohio recorded the most babies named Ladon, while Illinois, Georgia, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ladon
The name Ladon has its origins in ancient Greek mythology. It derives from the word "Ladon," which was the name of a serpentine dragon-like creature that guarded the golden apples in the Garden of the Hesperides. This mythical creature is mentioned in various ancient Greek texts, including the works of Hesiod, Apollonius of Rhodes, and Euripides.
In Greek mythology, Ladon was a fearsome and formidable beast, often depicted with a hundred heads or as a multi-headed serpent. It was tasked with guarding the golden apples that were gifted to Hera, the wife of Zeus, as a wedding present. Ladon's presence in the Garden of the Hesperides made it a challenging task for heroes like Heracles to obtain the golden apples.
The earliest recorded use of the name Ladon can be traced back to ancient Greece, where it was likely given to individuals, possibly as a tribute to the mythical creature or to bestow the qualities of strength and ferocity associated with the serpent. However, documented examples of individuals bearing this name from ancient times are scarce.
In more recent history, there are a few notable individuals who have carried the name Ladon. One such person was Ladon C. Sheats (1876-1959), an American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, from 1932 to 1936. Another individual named Ladon was Ladon Nava Toole (1911-1977), an American author and historian known for his works on Texas history and folklore.
In literature, the name Ladon has been used in various contexts, often drawing inspiration from the mythological creature. For example, in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, Ladon is mentioned as the name of a gigantic serpent that guards the golden apples in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
While the name Ladon may not be as common as other names, it carries a rich historical and mythological significance, particularly in the Greek tradition. Its association with the fearsome serpentine guardian of the golden apples has made it a name that evokes images of strength, protection, and mythical lore.
People
Ladon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ladon as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ladon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ladon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,325 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ladon going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 258,683 US residents.
Is Ladon a common name?
We classify Ladon as "Rare". It ranks above 91.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,577 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ladon most popular?
The single biggest year for Ladon was 1970, when 42 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ladon is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ladon a male name?
Yes, 79.5% of people registered as Ladon in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.