Boys' name · since 1880
Lyman
8,559 babies named Lyman in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1917. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,322 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #10,697 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 8,559
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
8,559 babies have been named Lyman since 1880, making it today's #10697 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Lyman recorded 8,559 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #10697 nationally today, ahead of 23% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1,322 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #10,697 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 8,559 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Lyman ranks #1,322 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #10,697 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 8,559 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1,322 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #10,697 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 8,559
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Lyman's 8,559 recorded births place it above 97.09% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
34 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Lyman compares
8,559 Top 10% higher than 90% 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
Lyman's all-time total is 23x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Lyman | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 8,559 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 220 | 34 | 22,252 |
Lyman's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Lyman's SSA record in two at 1952 and the more recent half accounts for 23% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 77%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 2009, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1917 peak of 220, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Lyman popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1917)
- 220
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Lyman by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (1,823 births, 21% of the file).
1920s was Lyman's strongest decade.
1,823 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Lyman births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 297
1880s
297 births
- 1890s 284
1890s
284 births
- 1900s 309
1900s
309 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,336 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,823 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,233 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,099 births
- 1950s
1950s
800 births
- 1960s 487
1960s
487 births
- 1970s 308
1970s
308 births
- 1980s 227
1980s
227 births
- 1990s 146
1990s
146 births
- 2000s 63
2000s
63 births
- 2010s 108
2010s
108 births
- 2020s 39
2020s
39 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 1,823 births (21% of all-time use).
How Lyman 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 Lyman's total volume
Lyman by state
Where Lyman concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 419 | 4.9% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 349 | 4.1% |
| #3 | Missouri | | 266 | 3.1% |
| #4 | California | | 262 | 3.1% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 245 | 2.9% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 169 | 2.0% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 162 | 1.9% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 160 | 1.9% |
419 of 8,559 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 34 reporting states.
Lyman appears in 34 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Lyman? ▼
Where does Lyman sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Lyman most popular? ▼
Where is Lyman most popular? ▼
How long has the name Lyman been used? ▼
What names are similar to Lyman? ▼
What to do with Lyman's data
- Lyman's decade-level peak was the 1920s (1,823 total births); usage has since declined to 39 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Lymans (419 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Lyman
Nearby Names Like Lyman
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Lyman
Compare Lyman side by side: Lyman vs Lymon
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Lyman
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Lyman: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1917)
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 Lyman 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.