boys' name ★ peaked 1926

Lyle

Meaning A unisex given name transferred from the surname Gender Boy · 2% girls Rank 2025 #1,047 Trend → Stable

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.

Rank 2025
#1,047
among boys · ↓25 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
216
named Lyle · -1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 8,095
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1926
1,073 babies
All-time total
60,203
#451 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Lyle popularity over time

60,203 babies have been named Lyle since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 7 126 133 13 – #400
1890s 54 371 425 43 +220% #233
1900s 48 674 722 72 +70% #195
1910s 179 5,657 5,836 584 +708% #145
1920s 211 10,163 10,374 1,037 +78% #146
1930s 130 9,058 9,188 919 -11% #155
1940s 106 8,618 8,724 872 -5% #168
1950s 121 8,304 8,425 843 -3% #222
1960s 39 5,259 5,298 530 -37% #290
1970s 31 2,959 2,990 299 -44% #376
1980s 6 2,536 2,542 254 -15% #512
1990s 7 1,506 1,513 151 -40% #633
2000s 5 942 947 95 -37% #1,244
2010s 38 1,762 1,800 180 +90% #928
2020s (to 2025) 31 1,255 1,286 214 +19% #1,010

Where Lyle is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 210 0.12 outside top 500
2027 210 0.12 outside top 500
2028 210 0.12 outside top 500
2029 209 0.12 outside top 500
2030 209 0.12 outside top 500

Where Lyle is most popular

Boys named Lyle per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.121 per 1,000. Strongest in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Montana.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Lyle born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Iowa 33 0.479 +294%
Wisconsin 54 0.456 +276%
Montana 6 0.340 +180%
Minnesota 35 0.285 +135%
Indiana 43 0.268 +121%
Maine 5 0.258 +112%
Michigan 41 0.200 +65%
Ohio 48 0.181 +49%
Missouri 24 0.173 +43%
Oregon 12 0.158 +30%
Colorado 19 0.147 +21%
Idaho 6 0.147 +21%
Washington 23 0.141 +16%
Illinois 34 0.133 +10%
Pennsylvania 33 0.124 ≈ national
Kentucky 11 0.110 -10%
Arizona 16 0.098 -19%
California 84 0.092 -24%
Mississippi 5 0.088 -27%
Texas 74 0.084 -31%
Oklahoma 7 0.079 -35%
Georgia 20 0.079 -35%
North Carolina 19 0.074 -39%
New York 32 0.074 -39%
Kansas 5 0.073 -40%
Virginia 13 0.069 -44%
Tennessee 12 0.066 -45%
Florida 27 0.057 -53%
Utah 5 0.052 -57%
Louisiana 5 0.049 -60%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Lyle

Lyle is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,047 in 2025 with 211 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 60,203 American babies have been named Lyle. Its peak came in 1926, when 1,073 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Lyle stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Lyle?

The median living Lyle is about 63 years old; half are between 41 and 74. An estimated 27 thousand people named Lyle are alive in the United States today.

median 63 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Lyle year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 5 #16,337 211 #1,047
2024 – – 219 #1,022
2023 8 #11,785 192 #1,107
2022 10 #10,125 209 #1,056
2021 8 #11,761 217 #1,013
2020 – – 207 #1,010
2019 7 #13,254 235 #928
2018 5 #17,161 220 #947
2017 – – 205 #994
2016 6 #15,481 208 #983
2015 – – 183 #1,079
2014 10 #10,621 172 #1,115
2013 10 #10,714 168 #1,104
2012 – – 133 #1,301
2011 – – 137 #1,263
2010 – – 101 #1,572
2009 – – 86 #1,769
2008 – – 78 #1,868
2007 – – 86 #1,736
2006 – – 104 #1,475
2005 5 #18,101 83 #1,643
2004 – – 79 #1,646
2003 – – 117 #1,244
2002 – – 107 #1,276
2001 – – 100 #1,312
2000 – – 102 #1,278
1995 – – 143 #927
1990 – – 257 #633
1985 – – 246 #564
1980 – – 268 #525
1975 – – 247 #508
1970 9 #5,639 465 #376
1965 – – 454 #359
1960 7 #5,483 731 #290
1955 8 #4,593 821 #246
1950 15 #2,728 828 #223
1945 8 #3,561 766 #194
1940 10 #2,878 864 #173
1935 9 #3,069 934 #156
1930 19 #1,913 947 #160
1925 22 #1,875 1,012 #154
1920 29 #1,536 967 #151
1915 17 #1,925 719 #159
1910 8 #1,867 117 #216
1905 10 #1,273 61 #249
1900 6 #1,854 49 #298
1895 – – 40 #281
1890 5 #1,447 22 #382
1885 – – 13 #538
1880 – – 7 #783

Famous people named Lyle

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Lyle Lovett Lyle Lovett American country singer (born 1957) Contemporary
  2. 2 Lyle Mays Lyle Mays American jazz musician (1953–2020) Contemporary
  3. 3 Lyle Campbell American scholar and linguist (born 1942) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Lyle, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Lyle?

The median living Lyle is about 63 years old. Half of all living Lyles are between 41 and 74 years old.

How many people named Lyle are alive today?

An estimated 27 thousand people named Lyle are alive in the United States, based on 60,203 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Lyle mean?

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.

How popular is the name Lyle in 2025?

Lyle ranked #1,047 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 211 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Lyle?

60,203 babies have been named Lyle in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Lyle most popular?

Lyle peaked in 1926, when 1,073 newborns received the name.

Is Lyle a boy or girl name?

Lyle is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Lyle rising or falling?

Lyle is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Lyle become more popular?

Lyle looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 209 boys named Lyle in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Lyle?

Well-known people named Lyle include Lyle Lovett (singer), Lyle Mays (musician), Lyle Campbell (linguist).

Names like Lyle

Names that sound and feel close to Lyle: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Lyle with similar names → More names starting with L →