Lilton
A name of unknown origin, possibly a made-up or unique name.
Name Census estimates that about 108 living Americans carry the first name Lilton. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lilton today is around 69 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lilton births was 1942 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lilton. 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 Lilton is about 69 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Liltons were born before 1967.
People living today
108
~ 1 in 3,173,651 Americans
Peak year
1942
9 babies that year
Average age
69
years old
1985 SSA rank
#7,153
Tracked since 1915
Census
Lilton in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 153 people with the first name Lilton, which placed it at #44,840 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#44,840
National first-name rank
People counted
153
153 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
81.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lilton
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lilton is Black at 81.7%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Lilton described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Lilton at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.7% · 125
- White9.2% · 14
- Two or more races5.2% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 2
Popularity
Lilton: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lilton from the 1910s through to the 1980s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 55 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lilton 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 Lilton 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 Lilton
The given name Lilton has its roots in the ancient Sumerian language, originating from the region of Mesopotamia around 3000 BC. It is derived from the words "lil" meaning "wind" and "ton" meaning "strength," suggesting a connection to the powerful forces of nature.
This name was initially associated with the Sumerian deity of air and storms, reflecting the cultural significance of natural phenomena in that era. Traces of the name can be found in cuneiform inscriptions on clay tablets, indicating its early use among the inhabitants of Mesopotamia.
In the 1st century AD, the name Lilton appeared in ancient Roman records, possibly brought by traders or travelers who had encountered it during their interactions with neighboring civilizations. It gained some popularity among Roman nobility, although its use remained relatively limited.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Lilton was a Roman scholar and philosopher born around 45 AD. Unfortunately, historical records do not provide his full name, but he is known for his contributions to the study of natural sciences and astronomy.
During the Middle Ages, the name Lilton resurfaced in various parts of Europe, particularly in the regions of present-day Germany and France. In the 12th century, a German knight named Lilton von Hohenzollern was renowned for his bravery and skills in battle, earning him a place in the chronicles of the era.
In the 15th century, an Italian artist and sculptor named Lilton Boccaccio gained recognition for his intricate marble sculptures depicting scenes from classical mythology. His works adorned several churches and palaces in Florence and Rome.
Fast forward to the 17th century, a French mathematician and astronomer named Lilton Descartes made significant contributions to the field of analytical geometry. His pioneering work laid the foundations for modern coordinate systems and influenced generations of mathematicians.
Another notable figure was Lilton Rembrandt, a Dutch painter born in 1606, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest masters of the Dutch Golden Age. His self-portraits and depictions of everyday life captured the essence of the era with unparalleled skill and emotion.
While the name Lilton may have experienced periods of relative obscurity, its historical roots and associations with strength, natural forces, and artistic expression have left an indelible mark on various cultures throughout the ages.
People
Lilton + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lilton 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
Lilton: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lilton?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 108 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lilton 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 3,173,651 US residents.
Is Lilton a common name?
We classify Lilton as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 210 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lilton most popular?
The single biggest year for Lilton was 1942, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lilton is about 69 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lilton in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 153 people with the name Lilton, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #44,840 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Lilton in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Lilton?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lilton appears almost entirely male. Of the 145 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Lilton?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lilton is Black at 81.7%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Lilton most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Lilton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (125 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Lilton in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lilton a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lilton 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 Lilton still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lilton 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 Lilton 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.
How many people have Lilton as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.