Lewis
Lewis was given to 736 boys in 2025, #433 among boys’ names; 156,636 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 61,600 Americans named Lewis and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (39% of everyone recorded); the median is 59 years old and half are between 35 and 73.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Lewis by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Lewis mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Lewis is “a male given name from Frankish.”
From Middle English Lewis, Lowis, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French Louis, from Frankish *Hlūdawīg. Doublet of Louis.
/ˈluːɪs/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Lewis?
#433 among boys’ names, 2025
Lewis rose from #568 in 2015 to #433 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born rose from 0.26 to 0.43 per 1,000.
2,731 babies in 1921, the peak
Lewis peaked in 1921, when 2,731 babies were given it (2,712 boys, #71 among boys’ names). The 736 births of 2025 are 27% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 736 | #433 | 0.43 |
| 2024 | 734 | #432 | 0.43 |
| 2023 | 648 | #470 | 0.38 |
| 2022 | 623 | #489 | 0.36 |
| 2021 | 609 | #485 | 0.35 |
| 2020 | 588 | #497 | 0.34 |
| 2019 | 507 | #557 | 0.28 |
| 2018 | 510 | #548 | 0.28 |
| 2017 | 521 | #542 | 0.28 |
| 2016 | 592 | #506 | 0.31 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 495 | #568 | 0.26 |
| 2014 | 463 | #594 | 0.24 |
| 2013 | 389 | #636 | 0.21 |
| 2012 | 378 | #636 | 0.20 |
| 2011 | 371 | #630 | 0.20 |
| 2010 | 326 | #715 | 0.17 |
| 2009 | 326 | #725 | 0.16 |
| 2008 | 386 | #637 | 0.19 |
| 2007 | 340 | #694 | 0.16 |
| 2006 | 333 | #679 | 0.16 |
| 2005 | 328 | #657 | 0.16 |
| 2004 | 338 | #624 | 0.17 |
| 2003 | 324 | #633 | 0.16 |
| 2002 | 353 | #592 | 0.18 |
| 2001 | 339 | #590 | 0.17 |
| 2000 | 357 | #573 | 0.18 |
| 1999 | 412 | #516 | 0.21 |
| 1998 | 354 | #558 | 0.19 |
| 1997 | 372 | #536 | 0.20 |
| 1996 | 428 | #494 | 0.23 |
| 1995 | 378 | #521 | 0.20 |
| 1994 | 432 | #487 | 0.22 |
| 1993 | 460 | #458 | 0.23 |
| 1992 | 544 | #413 | 0.27 |
| 1991 | 574 | #396 | 0.28 |
| 1990 | 579 | #397 | 0.28 |
| 1989 | 560 | #391 | 0.28 |
| 1988 | 571 | #358 | 0.30 |
| 1987 | 573 | #346 | 0.31 |
| 1986 | 581 | #335 | 0.32 |
| 1985 | 559 | #341 | 0.30 |
| 1984 | 556 | #334 | 0.31 |
| 1983 | 593 | #322 | 0.33 |
| 1982 | 594 | #322 | 0.33 |
| 1981 | 608 | #313 | 0.34 |
| 1980 | 646 | #305 | 0.36 |
| 1979 | 701 | #287 | 0.41 |
| 1978 | 625 | #299 | 0.38 |
| 1977 | 665 | #294 | 0.40 |
| 1976 | 679 | #281 | 0.43 |
| 1975 | 660 | #290 | 0.42 |
| 1974 | 706 | #270 | 0.45 |
| 1973 | 748 | #260 | 0.48 |
| 1972 | 799 | #253 | 0.49 |
| 1971 | 935 | #244 | 0.53 |
| 1970 | 999 | #236 | 0.54 |
| 1969 | 943 | #240 | 0.53 |
| 1968 | 961 | #230 | 0.55 |
| 1967 | 1,061 | #213 | 0.61 |
| 1966 | 1,056 | #214 | 0.59 |
| 1965 | 1,117 | #216 | 0.60 |
| 1964 | 1,248 | #217 | 0.63 |
| 1963 | 1,285 | #217 | 0.63 |
| 1962 | 1,276 | #216 | 0.62 |
| 1961 | 1,338 | #212 | 0.63 |
| 1960 | 1,398 | #204 | 0.66 |
| 1959 | 1,534 | #192 | 0.72 |
| 1958 | 1,669 | #177 | 0.79 |
| 1957 | 1,672 | #182 | 0.78 |
| 1956 | 1,767 | #168 | 0.84 |
| 1955 | 1,782 | #160 | 0.87 |
| 1954 | 1,838 | #156 | 0.90 |
| 1953 | 1,852 | #155 | 0.94 |
| 1952 | 1,995 | #145 | 1.0 |
| 1951 | 1,997 | #135 | 1.1 |
| 1950 | 2,027 | #132 | 1.1 |
| 1949 | 2,081 | #132 | 1.2 |
| 1948 | 2,143 | #130 | 1.2 |
| 1947 | 2,439 | #118 | 1.3 |
| 1946 | 2,154 | #118 | 1.3 |
| 1945 | 1,836 | #123 | 1.4 |
| 1944 | 2,044 | #112 | 1.5 |
| 1943 | 2,181 | #115 | 1.5 |
| 1942 | 2,180 | #112 | 1.6 |
| 1941 | 1,973 | #109 | 1.6 |
| 1940 | 1,900 | #107 | 1.6 |
| 1939 | 1,856 | #107 | 1.7 |
| 1938 | 1,882 | #109 | 1.7 |
| 1937 | 1,836 | #104 | 1.7 |
| 1936 | 1,855 | #101 | 1.8 |
| 1935 | 1,974 | #98 | 1.9 |
| 1934 | 2,062 | #94 | 2.0 |
| 1933 | 2,037 | #92 | 2.1 |
| 1932 | 2,112 | #92 | 2.0 |
| 1931 | 2,160 | #87 | 2.1 |
| 1930 | 2,243 | #87 | 2.0 |
| 1929 | 2,228 | #84 | 2.1 |
| 1928 | 2,339 | #86 | 2.1 |
| 1927 | 2,497 | #82 | 2.2 |
| 1926 | 2,444 | #82 | 2.2 |
| 1925 | 2,577 | #79 | 2.3 |
| 1924 | 2,670 | #77 | 2.4 |
| 1923 | 2,618 | #74 | 2.4 |
| 1922 | 2,555 | #75 | 2.3 |
| 1921 | 2,712 | #71 | 2.5 |
| 1920 | 2,688 | #72 | 2.5 |
| 1919 | 2,429 | #74 | 2.5 |
| 1918 | 2,593 | #74 | 2.6 |
| 1917 | 2,477 | #70 | 2.7 |
| 1916 | 2,374 | #71 | 2.7 |
| 1915 | 2,307 | #70 | 2.7 |
| 1914 | 1,767 | #72 | 2.7 |
| 1913 | 1,384 | #72 | 2.7 |
| 1912 | 1,247 | #68 | 2.9 |
| 1911 | 654 | #66 | 2.9 |
| 1910 | 555 | #65 | 2.9 |
| 1909 | 477 | #65 | 2.9 |
| 1908 | 489 | #61 | 3.2 |
| 1907 | 427 | #66 | 2.9 |
| 1906 | 365 | #69 | 2.7 |
| 1905 | 384 | #65 | 2.9 |
| 1904 | 402 | #59 | 3.1 |
| 1903 | 335 | #65 | 2.8 |
| 1902 | 385 | #59 | 3.1 |
| 1901 | 309 | #63 | 2.9 |
| 1900 | 469 | #52 | 3.1 |
| 1899 | 352 | #54 | 3.3 |
| 1898 | 352 | #62 | 2.9 |
| 1897 | 378 | #55 | 3.4 |
| 1896 | 386 | #56 | 3.2 |
| 1895 | 377 | #58 | 3.2 |
| 1894 | 359 | #59 | 3.1 |
| 1893 | 364 | #57 | 3.2 |
| 1892 | 399 | #55 | 3.3 |
| 1891 | 357 | #50 | 3.5 |
| 1890 | 375 | #51 | 3.4 |
| 1889 | 414 | #47 | 3.7 |
| 1888 | 412 | #50 | 3.4 |
| 1887 | 343 | #49 | 3.4 |
| 1886 | 431 | #43 | 3.9 |
| 1885 | 437 | #42 | 4.1 |
| 1884 | 476 | #39 | 4.2 |
| 1883 | 431 | #38 | 4.1 |
| 1882 | 441 | #39 | 3.9 |
| 1881 | 439 | #35 | 4.4 |
| 1880 | 517 | #30 | 4.7 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Lewis a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Lewis has been given almost only to boys: 870 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Lewis: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Lewis, and how old are they?
61,600 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 39% of the 156,636 Americans ever recorded as Lewis. The median Lewis alive today is 59 years old; half are between 35 and 73.
The 2020 Census counted 63,422 people named Lewis (317 women and girls, 63,105 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 67,811 born in the U.S. The Census count is 6% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 6,980 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 21,600 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 11,800 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 8,200 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 5,550 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 7,360 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Lewis born?
The states with the most babies named Lewis are New York, Pennsylvania and Texas, with 20% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 9,683 | #735 | 0.8× |
| Pennsylvania | 9,668 | #419 | 1.0× |
| Texas | 8,085 | #768 | 0.9× |
| Virginia | 7,297 | #375 | 2.1× |
| Georgia | 7,261 | #400 | 1.7× |
| North Carolina | 6,869 | #469 | 1.5× |
| Ohio | 6,696 | #345 | 0.9× |
| California | 6,143 | #578 | 0.6× |
| South Carolina | 4,959 | #457 | 1.9× |
| Alabama | 4,827 | #729 | 1.4× |
Where Lewis is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Lewis is most over-represented in Virginia: since 1910 it was given 2.1 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Lewis with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Lewis
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Lewis and names like it
- Compare Lewis and GeorgeBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sLewis peaked in 1921.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Lewis since 1910.
- The top names of 1921The year the most babies were named Lewis.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Lewis alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with LMost given first.