Boys' name · since 1880
Lyle
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 59,190 babies named Lyle, peaking in 1922. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #451 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,047 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 59,190
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Lyle is the #1047 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 59,190 recorded since 1880.
Lyle has 59,190 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1047 as of the latest data, more common than 92% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #451 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,047 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 59,190 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Lyle ranks #451 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,047 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 59,190 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #451 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,047 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 59,190
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Lyle's 59,190 recorded births place it above 99% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
49 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Michigan.
How Lyle compares
59,190 Top 4% higher than 96% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Lyle's all-time total is 160x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Lyle | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 59,190 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,055 | 34 | 22,252 |
Lyle's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Lyle splits its recorded history at 1953: 37% of all births land in the more recent half, 63% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1881 (6 births) -- compare that against the 1922 peak of 1,055 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Lyle popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1922)
- 1,055
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Lyle popularity over time - girls
1,013 total births recorded since 1888 (Lyle as girls' name)
Lyle by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (10,163 births, 17% of the file).
1920s was Lyle's strongest decade.
10,163 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Lyle births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 126
1880s
126 births
- 1890s 371
1890s
371 births
- 1900s 674
1900s
674 births
- 1910s
1910s
5,657 births
- 1920s
1920s
10,163 births
- 1930s
1930s
9,058 births
- 1940s
1940s
8,618 births
- 1950s
1950s
8,304 births
- 1960s
1960s
5,259 births
- 1970s 2,959
1970s
2,959 births
- 1980s 2,536
1980s
2,536 births
- 1990s 1,506
1990s
1,506 births
- 2000s 942
2000s
942 births
- 2010s 1,762
2010s
1,762 births
- 2020s 1,255
2020s
1,255 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 10,163 births (17% of all-time use).
How Lyle compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Lyle's total volume
Lyle by state
Where Lyle concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Michigan | | 4,364 | 7.4% |
| #2 | Minnesota | | 4,339 | 7.3% |
| #3 | Iowa | | 4,192 | 7.1% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 4,101 | 6.9% |
| #5 | Wisconsin | | 3,691 | 6.2% |
| #6 | California | | 3,101 | 5.2% |
| #7 | New York | | 2,565 | 4.3% |
| #8 | Nebraska | | 2,507 | 4.2% |
4,364 of 59,190 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.
Lyle appears in 49 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Lyle? ▼
Where does Lyle sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Lyle most popular? ▼
Where is Lyle most popular? ▼
How long has the name Lyle been used? ▼
What names are similar to Lyle? ▼
What to do with Lyle's data
- Lyle's decade-level peak was the 1920s (10,163 total births); usage has since declined to 1,255 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Michigan records the most Lyles (4,364 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Michigan names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Lyle
Nearby Names Like Lyle
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Lyle
Compare Lyle side by side: Lyle vs Lyles Lyle vs Lyla
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Lyle
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Lyle: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1922)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Lyle draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.