Lejon
A name of Scandinavian origin meaning "lion".
Name Census estimates that about 224 living Americans carry the first name Lejon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lejon today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lejon births was 1972 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lejon. 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
224
~ 1 in 1,530,153 Americans
Peak year
1972
16 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2015 SSA rank
#13,243
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Lejon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lejon from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 91 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
Lejon 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 Lejon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lejons live
Origin
Meaning and history of Lejon
The name Lejon is derived from the Old French word "lion", which itself comes from the Latin word "leo". It is a masculine given name that has been in use since the Middle Ages, primarily in Scandinavia and parts of Europe.
In Scandinavia, the name Lejon is believed to have originated as a translation of the Old Norse name "Leifr", meaning "descendant". This connection to the lion likely emerged due to the animal's symbolic association with strength, courage, and nobility in medieval European culture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lejon can be found in the 13th-century Icelandic Sagas, where it was used to refer to a character known for his bravery and warrior spirit. During this period, the name may have been adopted by Viking warriors as a symbolic representation of their ferocity in battle.
In the 14th century, the name Lejon gained popularity among the nobility in Sweden and Denmark, where it was often bestowed upon the sons of noble families as a symbol of their status and lineage. One notable example is Lejon Grip, a Swedish nobleman born in 1368, who served as a military commander and advisor to King Albrecht of Sweden.
In the 16th century, the name Lejon appeared in various religious texts and biblical translations, often used as a metaphor for strength and power. The Book of Revelation, for instance, refers to Jesus as the "Lion of the tribe of Judah", which may have contributed to the name's association with religious symbolism.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Lejon:
1. Lejon Brun (1475-1542), a Swedish theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Reformation in Sweden.
2. Lejon Gyllenstierna (1550-1609), a Swedish statesman and military commander who served as the Lord High Admiral of Sweden.
3. Lejon von Hatten (1628-1678), a German-Swedish field marshal and military engineer who made significant contributions to the fortification systems of various Swedish cities.
4. Lejon Munthe (1823-1900), a Swedish painter and art professor who played a vital role in the development of Swedish landscape painting in the 19th century.
5. Lejon Essen (1878-1956), a Swedish mathematician and academic who made important contributions to the field of functional analysis and integral equations.
While the name Lejon has its roots in the medieval period, it has remained a popular choice throughout the centuries, particularly in Scandinavia, where it continues to be associated with strength, courage, and nobility.
People
Lejon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lejon 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
Lejon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lejon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 224 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lejon 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 1,530,153 US residents.
Is Lejon a common name?
We classify Lejon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 235 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lejon most popular?
The single biggest year for Lejon was 1972, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lejon is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lejon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lejon 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.