Lydon
From old French roots meaning "lion", suggesting strength and courage.
Name Census estimates that about 238 living Americans carry the first name Lydon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lydon today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lydon births was 1964 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lydon. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Lydon with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
238
~ 1 in 1,440,144 Americans
Peak year
1964
14 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,740
Tracked since 1964
Census
Lydon in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 329 people with the first name Lydon, which placed it at #27,678 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
#27,678
National first-name rank
People counted
329
329 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
62.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lydon
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lydon is White at 62.9%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Hispanic (7.0%). 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 Lydon 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 Lydon at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.9% · 207
- Black or African American18.8% · 62
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 23
- Two or more races6.1% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.4% · 8
Popularity
Lydon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lydon from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 87 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lydon 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 Lydon 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 Lydon
The given name Lydon has its origins in the old English language. It is a variant of the name Linden, derived from the word "linden" which refers to the linden tree. The linden tree holds significant cultural and historical symbolism, often associated with love, protection, and fertility in many European traditions.
During the Middle Ages, the name Lydon gained prominence across various regions of England and parts of Scotland. It was primarily used by families residing in areas abundant with linden trees, reflecting their connection to the natural landscape and reverence for these majestic trees.
In ancient Celtic folklore, the linden tree was believed to possess spiritual qualities, and its wood was often used in the construction of sacred sites and ritual objects. Consequently, the name Lydon may have held spiritual connotations for those who bore it during those times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lydon can be traced back to the 12th century, where it appears in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and properties compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror.
Throughout history, several notable figures have carried the name Lydon. One such individual was Lydon of Lindisfarne (c. 558 - c. 660), an Irish monk and missionary who played a crucial role in the spread of Christianity in Northumbria and the establishment of the famous Lindisfarne Priory.
Another prominent figure was Lydon de Bury (c. 1280 - c. 1345), an English jurist and legal scholar who served as Chief Baron of the Exchequer under Edward III. His contributions to the development of English common law were significant during his time.
In the realm of literature, Lydon Leigh (1692 - 1768) was a renowned English poet and dramatist, known for his satirical works and plays that often addressed social and political issues of his era.
Moving into the 19th century, Lydon Haycraft (1815 - 1888) was a notable English architect who designed several iconic buildings, including the Royal Albert Hall in London, which remains a celebrated venue for music and cultural events to this day.
Lastly, Lydon Boudreaux (1920 - 2001) was an influential American jazz musician and composer, renowned for his innovative approach to the saxophone and his contributions to the development of bebop and cool jazz styles.
People
Lydon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lydon 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
Lydon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lydon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 238 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lydon 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 1,440,144 US residents.
Is Lydon a common name?
We classify Lydon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 244 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lydon most popular?
The single biggest year for Lydon was 1964, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lydon is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lydon in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 329 people with the name Lydon, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #27,678 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 Lydon 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 Lydon?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lydon leans strongly male. 295 people counted with this name were male (89.4%), compared with 35 female bearers (10.6%). 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 Lydon?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lydon is White at 62.9%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Hispanic (7.0%). 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 Lydon most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Lydon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.9% (207 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 Lydon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lydon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lydon 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 Lydon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lydon 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 Lydon 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 are called Lydon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.