Lidell
A name with Old English origins meaning "wide valley" or "path".
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Lidell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lidell today is around 56 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lidell births was 1968 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lidell. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Lidell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1968
5 babies that year
Average age
56
years old
1971 SSA rank
#5,357
Tracked since 1968
Popularity
Lidell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lidell from the 1960s through to the 1970s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lidell 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 Lidell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lidell
The name Lidell is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "lide," which means "gentle" or "mild." It is believed to have originated in the 9th or 10th century during the Anglo-Saxon period in England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lidell can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Lidellus," referring to a landowner or tenant at the time.
In the 12th century, a monk named Lidell is mentioned in the chronicles of the Benedictine abbey of Bury St. Edmunds, located in Suffolk, England. This suggests that the name was in use among the clergy and religious orders of the time.
During the Middle Ages, the name Lidell was relatively common in various parts of England, particularly in the northern counties. Records from the 13th and 14th centuries show instances of the name in Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Cumbria.
One notable figure from history who bore the name Lidell was Sir Lidell Sawbridge (1605-1683), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Cricklade during the reign of Charles II. He was known for his opposition to the monarchy's abuse of power and his support for parliamentary rights.
Another individual of historical significance with the name Lidell was Lidell Louw (1844-1918), a South African politician and lawyer. He served as the Attorney-General of the Cape Colony and played a crucial role in the drafting of the South African Constitution after the Boer War.
In the field of science, Lidell Meredith (1861-1936) was a British chemist and educator. He served as the principal of the Central Technical College in London and authored several influential textbooks on chemistry.
Lidell Sawyer (1895-1979) was an American author and journalist known for his work as a war correspondent during World War II. He covered notable events such as the Battle of the Bulge and the liberation of concentration camps.
Lastly, Lidell Townsend (1921-2005) was a British artist and sculptor renowned for her abstract works in bronze and steel. Her sculptures can be found in various public spaces and galleries across the United Kingdom.
People
Lidell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lidell 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
Lidell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lidell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lidell 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Lidell a common name?
We classify Lidell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lidell most popular?
The single biggest year for Lidell was 1968, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lidell is about 56 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Lidell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lidell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lidell 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.
Is Lidell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lidell in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Lidell can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Lidell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.