Lydia
Lydia was given to 2,692 girls in 2025, #92 among girls’ names; 187,317 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 139,000 Americans named Lydia and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (74% of everyone recorded); the median is 24 years old and half are between 12 and 48.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Lydia by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Lydia mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Lydia is “a female given name from Ancient Greek.” Its etymology gives the senses “the region of Lydia” (Λυδία) and “beautiful one, noble one” (λυδία).
Borrowed from Ancient Greek Λυδία (Ludía, “the region of Lydia”), from λυδία (ludía, “beautiful one, noble one”), a feminine form of Λυδός (Ludós) (Lydus, from λυδός (ludós) (lydus)). The region of Lydia is said to be named for a king Λυδός (Ludós) (Lydus, from λυδός (ludós) (lydus)); the given name Lydia originally indicated ancestry or residence in the region of Lydia.
/ˈlɪ.di.ə/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Lydia?
#92 among girls’ names, 2025
Lydia fell from #80 in 2015 to #92 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 2.0 to 1.7 per 1,000.
3,652 babies in 2014, the peak
Lydia peaked in 2014, when 3,652 girls were given it, #84 among girls’ names. The 2,692 births of 2025 are 74% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,692 | #92 | 1.7 |
| 2024 | 2,678 | #97 | 1.7 |
| 2023 | 2,735 | #94 | 1.7 |
| 2022 | 2,818 | #93 | 1.7 |
| 2021 | 2,935 | #89 | 1.8 |
| 2020 | 2,804 | #95 | 1.7 |
| 2019 | 3,015 | #94 | 1.8 |
| 2018 | 3,213 | #89 | 1.9 |
| 2017 | 3,341 | #85 | 1.9 |
| 2016 | 3,625 | #80 | 2.0 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 3,514 | #80 | 2.0 |
| 2014 | 3,652 | #84 | 2.0 |
| 2013 | 3,262 | #95 | 1.9 |
| 2012 | 3,176 | #95 | 1.8 |
| 2011 | 3,092 | #96 | 1.8 |
| 2010 | 2,840 | #110 | 1.6 |
| 2009 | 2,830 | #117 | 1.5 |
| 2008 | 2,876 | #120 | 1.5 |
| 2007 | 2,773 | #124 | 1.4 |
| 2006 | 2,668 | #130 | 1.4 |
| 2005 | 2,785 | #119 | 1.5 |
| 2004 | 2,636 | #126 | 1.4 |
| 2003 | 2,647 | #127 | 1.4 |
| 2002 | 2,512 | #137 | 1.4 |
| 2001 | 2,364 | #140 | 1.3 |
| 2000 | 2,321 | #147 | 1.3 |
| 1999 | 2,189 | #148 | 1.2 |
| 1998 | 2,071 | #153 | 1.2 |
| 1997 | 1,937 | #160 | 1.1 |
| 1996 | 1,813 | #173 | 1.0 |
| 1995 | 1,759 | #169 | 1.0 |
| 1994 | 1,603 | #188 | 0.90 |
| 1993 | 1,421 | #206 | 0.79 |
| 1992 | 1,414 | #202 | 0.77 |
| 1991 | 1,378 | #214 | 0.73 |
| 1990 | 1,406 | #204 | 0.74 |
| 1989 | 1,262 | #217 | 0.68 |
| 1988 | 1,174 | #221 | 0.66 |
| 1987 | 1,209 | #219 | 0.70 |
| 1986 | 1,129 | #229 | 0.66 |
| 1985 | 1,220 | #212 | 0.71 |
| 1984 | 1,201 | #217 | 0.71 |
| 1983 | 1,023 | #239 | 0.61 |
| 1982 | 1,051 | #240 | 0.62 |
| 1981 | 940 | #265 | 0.56 |
| 1980 | 862 | #287 | 0.52 |
| 1979 | 803 | #296 | 0.50 |
| 1978 | 708 | #324 | 0.46 |
| 1977 | 765 | #312 | 0.50 |
| 1976 | 747 | #307 | 0.51 |
| 1975 | 669 | #333 | 0.46 |
| 1974 | 722 | #316 | 0.49 |
| 1973 | 677 | #329 | 0.46 |
| 1972 | 753 | #319 | 0.49 |
| 1971 | 844 | #315 | 0.51 |
| 1970 | 924 | #307 | 0.53 |
| 1969 | 807 | #320 | 0.48 |
| 1968 | 863 | #300 | 0.53 |
| 1967 | 877 | #289 | 0.53 |
| 1966 | 954 | #273 | 0.56 |
| 1965 | 1,079 | #263 | 0.61 |
| 1964 | 1,183 | #259 | 0.62 |
| 1963 | 1,291 | #246 | 0.67 |
| 1962 | 1,412 | #226 | 0.72 |
| 1961 | 1,573 | #214 | 0.78 |
| 1960 | 1,670 | #205 | 0.83 |
| 1959 | 1,561 | #210 | 0.77 |
| 1958 | 1,577 | #207 | 0.78 |
| 1957 | 1,621 | #206 | 0.79 |
| 1956 | 1,545 | #206 | 0.77 |
| 1955 | 1,585 | #200 | 0.81 |
| 1954 | 1,560 | #197 | 0.80 |
| 1953 | 1,560 | #201 | 0.83 |
| 1952 | 1,327 | #213 | 0.72 |
| 1951 | 1,150 | #225 | 0.64 |
| 1950 | 1,127 | #223 | 0.66 |
| 1949 | 1,241 | #214 | 0.73 |
| 1948 | 1,222 | #209 | 0.72 |
| 1947 | 1,050 | #230 | 0.59 |
| 1946 | 886 | #239 | 0.56 |
| 1945 | 856 | #224 | 0.65 |
| 1944 | 807 | #233 | 0.61 |
| 1943 | 864 | #228 | 0.62 |
| 1942 | 854 | #225 | 0.63 |
| 1941 | 682 | #247 | 0.56 |
| 1940 | 726 | #235 | 0.63 |
| 1939 | 680 | #239 | 0.62 |
| 1938 | 677 | #242 | 0.61 |
| 1937 | 687 | #238 | 0.65 |
| 1936 | 688 | #237 | 0.66 |
| 1935 | 669 | #244 | 0.64 |
| 1934 | 632 | #248 | 0.61 |
| 1933 | 668 | #237 | 0.66 |
| 1932 | 630 | #246 | 0.59 |
| 1931 | 646 | #235 | 0.61 |
| 1930 | 687 | #233 | 0.61 |
| 1929 | 745 | #223 | 0.67 |
| 1928 | 815 | #219 | 0.71 |
| 1927 | 876 | #217 | 0.73 |
| 1926 | 813 | #223 | 0.69 |
| 1925 | 954 | #207 | 0.78 |
| 1924 | 912 | #214 | 0.73 |
| 1923 | 966 | #204 | 0.80 |
| 1922 | 1,025 | #199 | 0.85 |
| 1921 | 1,052 | #197 | 0.85 |
| 1920 | 1,118 | #185 | 0.93 |
| 1919 | 1,059 | #186 | 0.94 |
| 1918 | 1,148 | #180 | 1.0 |
| 1917 | 1,180 | #169 | 1.1 |
| 1916 | 1,148 | #168 | 1.1 |
| 1915 | 1,086 | #170 | 1.1 |
| 1914 | 839 | #168 | 1.1 |
| 1913 | 759 | #154 | 1.2 |
| 1912 | 701 | #152 | 1.3 |
| 1911 | 568 | #142 | 1.4 |
| 1910 | 537 | #152 | 1.4 |
| 1909 | 503 | #142 | 1.4 |
| 1908 | 499 | #140 | 1.5 |
| 1907 | 512 | #131 | 1.6 |
| 1906 | 477 | #132 | 1.6 |
| 1905 | 518 | #123 | 1.8 |
| 1904 | 545 | #112 | 2.0 |
| 1903 | 502 | #116 | 1.9 |
| 1902 | 535 | #112 | 2.0 |
| 1901 | 507 | #103 | 2.1 |
| 1900 | 644 | #104 | 2.1 |
| 1899 | 566 | #97 | 2.4 |
| 1898 | 677 | #88 | 2.6 |
| 1897 | 642 | #83 | 2.7 |
| 1896 | 580 | #91 | 2.4 |
| 1895 | 656 | #85 | 2.8 |
| 1894 | 618 | #85 | 2.8 |
| 1893 | 598 | #81 | 2.8 |
| 1892 | 522 | #93 | 2.5 |
| 1891 | 507 | #86 | 2.7 |
| 1890 | 576 | #78 | 3.0 |
| 1889 | 496 | #83 | 2.8 |
| 1888 | 472 | #85 | 2.6 |
| 1887 | 448 | #76 | 3.1 |
| 1886 | 392 | #87 | 2.7 |
| 1885 | 404 | #77 | 3.0 |
| 1884 | 369 | #80 | 2.9 |
| 1883 | 378 | #75 | 3.4 |
| 1882 | 342 | #76 | 3.2 |
| 1881 | 299 | #77 | 3.3 |
| 1880 | 302 | #77 | 3.3 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Lydia a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Lydia has been given almost only to girls: 278 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Lydia: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Lydia, and how old are they?
139,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 74% of the 187,317 Americans ever recorded as Lydia. The median Lydia alive today is 24 years old; half are between 12 and 48.
The 2020 Census counted 139,560 people named Lydia (139,374 women and girls, 186 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 127,831 born in the U.S. The Census count is 9% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 4,000 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 20,500 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 12,100 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 20,500 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 41,300 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 40,100 |
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 Lydia born?
The states with the most babies named Lydia are Texas, Pennsylvania and Ohio, with 20% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 233 | #137 | 1.1× |
| Pennsylvania | 157 | #51 | 1.1× |
| Ohio | 147 | #52 | 1.1× |
| California | 121 | #274 | 0.8× |
| New York | 105 | #154 | 0.9× |
| Florida | 97 | #191 | 0.7× |
| Missouri | 94 | #41 | 1.1× |
| Michigan | 93 | #73 | 1.0× |
| North Carolina | 93 | #106 | 1.0× |
| Georgia | 92 | #90 | 0.8× |
Where Lydia is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Lydia is most over-represented in New Mexico: since 1910 it was given 1.4 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 girls’ 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 Lydia with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 210,738 babies since 1880, Lydia is the most given (89% of them). In 2025 it was given to 2,692 of their 2,865 babies (94%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Lydia
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 Lydia and names like it
- Compare Lydia and LidiaBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2010sLydia peaked in 2014.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Lydia since 1910.
- Ancient Greek namesWiktionary’s origin for Lydia: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2014The year the most babies were named Lydia.
- The names of Generation ZMost people named Lydia alive today were born 1997-2012.
- Names starting with LMost given first.