Lenton
An English place name once referring to the Lenten season.
Name Census estimates that about 285 living Americans carry the first name Lenton. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lenton today is around 67 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lenton births was 1922 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lenton. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Lenton is about 67 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Lentons were born before 1969.
People living today
285
~ 1 in 1,202,647 Americans
Peak year
1922
21 babies that year
Average age
67
years old
1994 SSA rank
#8,378
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Lenton: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lenton from the 1910s through to the 1990s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 135 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lenton 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 Lenton during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lentons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Georgia, Florida, Alabama recorded the most babies named Lenton, while Mississippi, Alabama, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 36 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lenton
The given name Lenton has its origins in Old English, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 9th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "lenten," meaning "spring" or "pertaining to spring." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon children born during the spring season, or it may have been a descriptive name referring to the vibrant and rejuvenating nature of the springtime.
Lenton is closely related to the Old English word "lencten," which also means "spring" and is the root of the modern English word "Lent." This connection to the Christian observance of Lent, a period of fasting and spiritual renewal leading up to Easter, further reinforces the name's association with the concept of rebirth and new beginnings.
In the early medieval period, the name Lenton appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, particularly in regions where Old English was spoken, such as parts of present-day England and southern Scotland. One notable mention of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, where it is recorded as a place name.
Throughout history, several individuals have borne the name Lenton. One of the earliest recorded instances is Lenton of Winchester (c. 980 - c. 1040), an English monk and scholar who served as the Abbot of St. Peter's Abbey in Winchester during the early 11th century. Another notable figure was Lenton Green (c. 1570 - 1645), an English composer and organist who served at the Church of St. Paul's in London during the reign of King James I.
In the 18th century, Lenton Browne (1720 - 1787) was an English clergyman and author who published several works on religious subjects, including "An Essay on the Human Calvinistic and Arminian Controversy" (1772). A century later, Lenton Lyne-Stephens (1838 - 1924) was a British Army officer and author who served in the Crimean War and wrote a memoir titled "Personal Records of the Crimean War" (1907).
More recently, Lenton Parr (1924 - 2003) was an Australian artist and sculptor known for his abstract works and public installations, many of which can be found in cities across Australia and in international collections.
While the name Lenton may not be as common today as it was in earlier centuries, its rich history and connections to the concepts of springtime, renewal, and new beginnings make it a unique and meaningful choice for a given name.
People
Lenton + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lenton 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
Lenton: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lenton?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 285 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lenton 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 1,202,647 US residents.
Is Lenton a common name?
We classify Lenton as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 657 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lenton most popular?
The single biggest year for Lenton was 1922, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lenton is about 67 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lenton a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lenton 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.