Lyle
Lyle was given to 211 boys in 2025, #1,047 among boys’ names; 60,203 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 25,200 Americans named Lyle and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (42% of everyone recorded); the median is 62 years old and half are between 40 and 74.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Lyle by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Lyle mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Lyle is “a unisex given name transferred from the surname.”
/laɪl/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Lyle?
#1,047 among boys’ names, 2025
Lyle rose from #1,079 in 2015 to #1,047 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born rose from 0.10 to 0.12 per 1,000.
1,073 babies in 1926, the peak
Lyle peaked in 1926, when 1,073 babies were given it (1,051 boys, #152 among boys’ names). The 216 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 20% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 211 | #1,047 | 0.12 |
| 2024 | 219 | #1,022 | 0.13 |
| 2023 | 192 | #1,107 | 0.11 |
| 2022 | 209 | #1,056 | 0.12 |
| 2021 | 217 | #1,013 | 0.12 |
| 2020 | 207 | #1,010 | 0.12 |
| 2019 | 235 | #928 | 0.13 |
| 2018 | 220 | #947 | 0.12 |
| 2017 | 205 | #994 | 0.11 |
| 2016 | 208 | #983 | 0.11 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 183 | #1,079 | 0.10 |
| 2014 | 172 | #1,115 | 0.09 |
| 2013 | 168 | #1,104 | 0.09 |
| 2012 | 133 | #1,301 | 0.07 |
| 2011 | 137 | #1,263 | 0.07 |
| 2010 | 101 | #1,572 | 0.05 |
| 2009 | 86 | #1,768 | 0.04 |
| 2008 | 78 | #1,868 | 0.04 |
| 2007 | 86 | #1,736 | 0.04 |
| 2006 | 104 | #1,475 | 0.05 |
| 2005 | 83 | #1,641 | 0.04 |
| 2004 | 79 | #1,643 | 0.04 |
| 2003 | 117 | #1,243 | 0.06 |
| 2002 | 107 | #1,273 | 0.06 |
| 2001 | 100 | #1,308 | 0.05 |
| 2000 | 102 | #1,275 | 0.05 |
| 1999 | 93 | #1,302 | 0.05 |
| 1998 | 97 | #1,255 | 0.05 |
| 1997 | 122 | #1,045 | 0.06 |
| 1996 | 118 | #1,038 | 0.06 |
| 1995 | 143 | #924 | 0.08 |
| 1994 | 149 | #887 | 0.08 |
| 1993 | 159 | #834 | 0.08 |
| 1992 | 189 | #750 | 0.09 |
| 1991 | 179 | #761 | 0.09 |
| 1990 | 257 | #631 | 0.13 |
| 1989 | 252 | #625 | 0.13 |
| 1988 | 248 | #593 | 0.13 |
| 1987 | 253 | #567 | 0.14 |
| 1986 | 297 | #512 | 0.16 |
| 1985 | 246 | #564 | 0.13 |
| 1984 | 255 | #544 | 0.14 |
| 1983 | 247 | #530 | 0.14 |
| 1982 | 224 | #574 | 0.12 |
| 1981 | 246 | #534 | 0.14 |
| 1980 | 268 | #525 | 0.15 |
| 1979 | 246 | #544 | 0.14 |
| 1978 | 235 | #539 | 0.14 |
| 1977 | 279 | #487 | 0.17 |
| 1976 | 221 | #540 | 0.14 |
| 1975 | 247 | #508 | 0.16 |
| 1974 | 271 | #484 | 0.17 |
| 1973 | 287 | #460 | 0.18 |
| 1972 | 313 | #449 | 0.19 |
| 1971 | 395 | #406 | 0.22 |
| 1970 | 465 | #376 | 0.25 |
| 1969 | 435 | #376 | 0.24 |
| 1968 | 434 | #373 | 0.25 |
| 1967 | 377 | #389 | 0.22 |
| 1966 | 435 | #359 | 0.24 |
| 1965 | 454 | #359 | 0.24 |
| 1964 | 515 | #345 | 0.26 |
| 1963 | 575 | #329 | 0.28 |
| 1962 | 644 | #306 | 0.31 |
| 1961 | 659 | #302 | 0.31 |
| 1960 | 731 | #290 | 0.34 |
| 1959 | 761 | #286 | 0.36 |
| 1958 | 770 | #277 | 0.36 |
| 1957 | 838 | #261 | 0.39 |
| 1956 | 794 | #258 | 0.38 |
| 1955 | 821 | #246 | 0.40 |
| 1954 | 889 | #237 | 0.44 |
| 1953 | 891 | #226 | 0.45 |
| 1952 | 897 | #222 | 0.46 |
| 1951 | 815 | #233 | 0.43 |
| 1950 | 828 | #223 | 0.46 |
| 1949 | 835 | #220 | 0.47 |
| 1948 | 864 | #216 | 0.49 |
| 1947 | 904 | #212 | 0.49 |
| 1946 | 859 | #200 | 0.53 |
| 1945 | 766 | #194 | 0.57 |
| 1944 | 813 | #189 | 0.60 |
| 1943 | 884 | #185 | 0.62 |
| 1942 | 890 | #176 | 0.64 |
| 1941 | 939 | #168 | 0.76 |
| 1940 | 864 | #173 | 0.75 |
| 1939 | 834 | #175 | 0.75 |
| 1938 | 790 | #183 | 0.71 |
| 1937 | 875 | #167 | 0.82 |
| 1936 | 910 | #159 | 0.88 |
| 1935 | 934 | #156 | 0.90 |
| 1934 | 939 | #155 | 0.91 |
| 1933 | 916 | #158 | 0.92 |
| 1932 | 969 | #155 | 0.93 |
| 1931 | 944 | #157 | 0.91 |
| 1930 | 947 | #160 | 0.86 |
| 1929 | 1,007 | #152 | 0.94 |
| 1928 | 999 | #155 | 0.90 |
| 1927 | 1,054 | #151 | 0.94 |
| 1926 | 1,051 | #152 | 0.95 |
| 1925 | 1,012 | #154 | 0.91 |
| 1924 | 1,000 | #159 | 0.88 |
| 1923 | 1,011 | #154 | 0.92 |
| 1922 | 1,055 | #146 | 1.0 |
| 1921 | 1,007 | #150 | 0.91 |
| 1920 | 967 | #151 | 0.91 |
| 1919 | 877 | #153 | 0.89 |
| 1918 | 993 | #145 | 1.0 |
| 1917 | 855 | #153 | 0.92 |
| 1916 | 806 | #153 | 0.91 |
| 1915 | 719 | #159 | 0.85 |
| 1914 | 495 | #178 | 0.76 |
| 1913 | 342 | #196 | 0.67 |
| 1912 | 325 | #181 | 0.76 |
| 1911 | 128 | #224 | 0.57 |
| 1910 | 117 | #216 | 0.60 |
| 1909 | 72 | #262 | 0.44 |
| 1908 | 75 | #246 | 0.49 |
| 1907 | 76 | #235 | 0.52 |
| 1906 | 93 | #195 | 0.70 |
| 1905 | 61 | #249 | 0.46 |
| 1904 | 74 | #215 | 0.58 |
| 1903 | 66 | #224 | 0.55 |
| 1902 | 48 | #273 | 0.39 |
| 1901 | 60 | #226 | 0.56 |
| 1900 | 49 | #298 | 0.33 |
| 1899 | 42 | #262 | 0.40 |
| 1898 | 56 | #233 | 0.46 |
| 1897 | 39 | #293 | 0.35 |
| 1896 | 35 | #320 | 0.29 |
| 1895 | 40 | #281 | 0.34 |
| 1894 | 48 | #250 | 0.41 |
| 1893 | 29 | #328 | 0.26 |
| 1892 | 29 | #353 | 0.24 |
| 1891 | 31 | #302 | 0.31 |
| 1890 | 22 | #382 | 0.20 |
| 1889 | 18 | #438 | 0.16 |
| 1888 | 22 | #400 | 0.18 |
| 1887 | 17 | #417 | 0.17 |
| 1886 | 12 | #564 | 0.11 |
| 1885 | 13 | #538 | 0.12 |
| 1884 | 12 | #561 | 0.10 |
| 1883 | 7 | #772 | 0.07 |
| 1882 | 12 | #565 | 0.11 |
| 1881 | 6 | #833 | 0.06 |
| 1880 | 7 | #783 | 0.06 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Lyle a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 60,203 Americans recorded as Lyle, 2% are girls and 98% boys. In 2025 it went to 5 girls and 211 boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Lyle: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Lyle, and how old are they?
25,200 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 42% of the 60,203 Americans ever recorded as Lyle. The median Lyle alive today is 62 years old; half are between 40 and 74.
The 2020 Census counted 28,748 people named Lyle (431 women and girls, 28,317 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 28,407 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 3,070 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 9,810 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 4,730 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 3,290 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 1,610 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 2,700 |
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 Lyle born?
The states with the most babies named Lyle are Michigan, Minnesota and Iowa, with 24% of its births recorded by state since 1910; Minnesota and Iowa are not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 4,371 | #966 | 1.8× |
| Minnesota | 4,339 | #769 | 3.4× |
| Iowa | 4,192 | #478 | 3.9× |
| Illinois | 4,106 | #843 | 1.3× |
| Wisconsin | 3,691 | #404 | 2.6× |
| California | 3,101 | #1,105 | 0.8× |
| New York | 2,565 | not ranked | 0.5× |
| Nebraska | 2,507 | not ranked | 4.2× |
| Kansas | 1,936 | not ranked | 2.4× |
| South Dakota | 1,891 | not ranked | 6.0× |
Where Lyle is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Lyle is most over-represented in South Dakota: since 1910 it was given 6.0 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 Lyle 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 5 names spelled alike, given to 61,319 babies since 1880, Lyle is the most given (98% of them). In 2025 it was given to 216 of their 229 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 Lyle
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 Lyle and names like it
- Compare Lyle and LisleBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sLyle peaked in 1926.
- Michigan’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Lyle since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Lyle: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1926The year the most babies were named Lyle.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Lyle alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with LMost given first.