Lamia
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "the utterer".
Name Census estimates that about 1,344 living Americans carry the first name Lamia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lamia today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lamia births was 2004 (50 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lamia. 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 255,026 Americans
Peak year
2004
50 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,079
Tracked since 1968
Popularity
Lamia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lamia from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 417 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lamia 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 Lamia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lamias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. New York, Ohio, Georgia recorded the most babies named Lamia, while Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lamia
The name Lamia has its origins in ancient Greek mythology. It is derived from the Greek word "Lamos", which means "gullet" or "throat". In Greek folklore, Lamia was a beautiful queen of Libya who became a child-devouring monster after being transformed by the jealous Hera.
The legend of Lamia can be traced back to classical antiquity, with references found in the works of Greek writers such as Diodorus Siculus, Philostratus, and Quintus Smyrnaeus. The name also appears in the writings of Roman authors like Horace and Statius, indicating its widespread recognition in the ancient Mediterranean world.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lamia is from the 5th century BC, referring to a Greek courtesan who was renowned for her beauty and intelligence. She was a mistress of the Athenian statesman Pericles and was known for her wit and political influence.
In the Middle Ages, the name Lamia gained associations with witchcraft and sorcery, particularly in Renaissance literature. John Keats immortalized the name in his romantic poem "Lamia" published in 1820, which tells the story of a serpent-woman who enchants a young man.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Lamia. One of the earliest was Lamia of Athens (c. 450 BC), a renowned courtesan and mistress of Pericles. Another was Lamia, the daughter of the Roman emperor Severus Alexander (c. 208-235 AD), who was briefly proclaimed Augusta (empress) after her father's death.
In more recent times, Lamia was the name of a 19th-century Greek poet and feminist, Lamia Ziziniu (1845-1926), who played a significant role in the literary and women's rights movements of her time. The name has also been used by several modern writers, including the American author Lamia Guenina (born 1953) and the French novelist Lamia Ziadé (born 1968).
Overall, the name Lamia has a rich and diverse history, originating from ancient Greek mythology and literature, with associations ranging from beauty and intelligence to witchcraft and monstrosity. Its enduring presence in various cultures and time periods attests to its lasting appeal and significance.
People
Lamia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lamia 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
Lamia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lamia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,344 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lamia 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 255,026 US residents.
Is Lamia a common name?
We classify Lamia 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, 1,378 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lamia most popular?
The single biggest year for Lamia was 2004, when 50 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lamia is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lamia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lamia in the SSA data are female. 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.