Lyth
A name deriving from a Welsh word meaning "pliant" or "flexible".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Lyth. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lyth today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lyth births was 1999 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lyth. 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 Lyth. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1999
6 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
1999 SSA rank
#9,448
Tracked since 1999
Popularity
Lyth: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Lyth 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 Lyth during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Lyth
The name Lyth has its origins in Old English, derived from the word "lyth" which means "a calm or sheltered place". It was a common name among the Anglo-Saxons, particularly in the regions of Mercia and Northumbria during the 7th to 11th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lyth can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as a place name in Yorkshire. This suggests that the name was already in use as a personal name before the Norman Conquest of 1066.
In the 12th century, the name Lyth is mentioned in the writings of the Venerable Bede, an English Benedictine monk and scholar. He referred to a monk named Lyth who lived in the monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow in Northumbria.
During the Middle Ages, the name Lyth was particularly popular among the lower classes and peasantry in northern England. One notable bearer of the name was Lyth de Worsley, a yeoman farmer from Lancashire who was mentioned in records from the 14th century.
In the 16th century, a man named Lyth Chambers served as a captain in the English army during the reign of Elizabeth I. He fought in the Anglo-Spanish War and was commended for his bravery at the Battle of Gravelines in 1588.
Another historical figure with the name Lyth was Lyth Williamson, a Puritan preacher and author who lived in the 17th century. He was known for his sermons and writings promoting religious reform and moral living.
In the 18th century, a renowned English architect named Lyth Atkins designed several notable buildings, including the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford and the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin.
One of the most famous bearers of the name Lyth was Lyth Rendall, a British explorer and adventurer who lived in the 19th century. He is best known for his expeditions to the Arctic regions and his writings about his travels.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Lyth, a name with a rich linguistic and cultural heritage rooted in the Old English language and Anglo-Saxon traditions.
People
Lyth + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lyth 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
Lyth: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lyth?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lyth 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Lyth a common name?
We classify Lyth as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lyth most popular?
The single biggest year for Lyth was 1999, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lyth is about 27 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 Lyth in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lyth a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lyth 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 Lyth still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lyth 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 Lyth 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 Americans are named Lyth?
See how many people have the name Lyth on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.