US rank #2006 Girls' name Peak 1926 22,870 births

Lenore — #2006 US girls' name

22,870 babies named Lenore in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1926. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s2181890s5441900s9371910s27781920s42541930s36021940s32661950s27761960s19261970s10301980s3521990s1572000s1612010s5112020s358
#2006
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 89% of names given to girls today.

1920s
Peak decade

19% of everyone ever named Lenore was born in this single decade.

1926
Single peak year

460 babies were named Lenore in 1926 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Lenore

The Social Security Administration has registered 22,870 babies named Lenore between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Lenore currently holds the #2006 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1926, when 460 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Lenore performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 4,254 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Lenore shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 4,277 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Illinois and Pennsylvania. In total, SSA state-level files list Lenore in 42 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Lenore in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 22,870 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Lenore at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

22,870

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1926

460 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#2,006

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Lenore popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1926)
460
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-1000100200300400500 202420051986196719481929191018911880 12

Lenore popularity over time — boys

6 total births recorded since 1929 (Lenore as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 6 births
6 1929 6

Lenore by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
4,254 births that decade — 19% of Lenore's all-time total
1880s2181890s5441900s9371910s27781920s42541930s36021940s32661950s27761960s19261970s10301980s3521990s1572000s1612010s5112020s358

Lenore by state

Where Lenore concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Lenore
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
4,277 18.7%
#2 Illinois
1,806 7.9%
#3 Pennsylvania
1,547 6.8%
#4 California
1,300 5.7%
#5 Michigan
1,216 5.3%
#6 Ohio
1,205 5.3%
#7 New Jersey
1,028 4.5%
#8 Wisconsin
735 3.2%
New York share of Lenore's total US births 18.7%
Even split

4,277 of 22,870 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 42 reporting states.

Lenore appears in 42 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Lenore?
22,870 babies have been named Lenore since 1880. It currently ranks #2006 among girls. The peak year was 1926 with 460 births.
When was Lenore most popular?
Lenore was most popular in the 1920s decade with 4,254 total births. The single peak year was 1926.
Where is Lenore most popular?
The top states for the name Lenore are New York (4,277 births), Illinois (1,806 births), Pennsylvania (1,547 births).
How long has the name Lenore been used?
Lenore has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Lenore?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Lena, Lenora, Lennon, Lennox, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Lenore

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.