Lyfe
Unconventional spelling of the word "life", suggesting vitality and vigor.
Name Census estimates that about 439 living Americans carry the first name Lyfe. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 71.9% of registrations being male. The average person named Lyfe today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lyfe births was 2016 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lyfe. 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
439
~ 1 in 780,762 Americans
Peak year
2016
39 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,158
Tracked since 2006
Gender
Gender distribution for Lyfe
Lyfe is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 442 total registrations, 318 (71.9%) were male and 124 (28.1%) were female.
Lyfe as a male name
- Ranked #5,158 in 2024
- 19 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (29 births)
Lyfe as a female name
- Ranked #12,889 in 2024
- 7 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2020 (13 births)
Popularity
Lyfe: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lyfe from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 230 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Lyfe remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lyfe 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 Lyfe during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lyfes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Lyfe
The name Lyfe is of Old English origin, derived from the word "lif," which means "life" or "existence." It dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period, around the 5th to 11th centuries AD, when it was used as a given name for both males and females.
In ancient Germanic cultures, the concept of life was deeply revered, and names associated with it were believed to carry powerful symbolism and meaning. The name Lyfe was likely bestowed upon children as a wish for a long and prosperous life.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lyfe can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions a landowner named Lyfe in the county of Oxfordshire.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Lyfe maintained its presence, though it was not as common as other Old English names. Notable individuals who bore this name include Lyfe de Weston, a 13th-century English landowner mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of 1199.
During the Renaissance period, the name Lyfe experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly among the nobility and upper classes. One notable figure was Lyfe Plantagenet, a courtier and cousin of King Henry VII, who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.
In the 17th century, Lyfe Widdowes, a British merchant and explorer, gained recognition for his travels to the East Indies and his writings on the region's culture and trade.
Another individual of note was Lyfe Wilkinson, a prominent Quaker minister and author who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. His influential works on Quaker beliefs and practices made a significant impact on the religious movement.
Moving into the 19th century, Lyfe Browne was a notable English artist and engraver, renowned for his intricate and detailed works depicting landscapes and historical scenes.
While the name Lyfe has become less common in modern times, it continues to carry a deep connection to its Old English roots, symbolizing the enduring value of life itself.
People
Lyfe + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lyfe 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
Lyfe: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lyfe?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 439 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lyfe 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 780,762 US residents.
Is Lyfe a common name?
We classify Lyfe as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 442 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lyfe most popular?
The single biggest year for Lyfe was 2016, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lyfe is about 10 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 Lyfe in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lyfe a male name?
Yes, 71.9% of people registered as Lyfe 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 Lyfe still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lyfe 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 Lyfe 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 are called Lyfe?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.