Lionel

Last seen for girls in 1986 at #10,912 · #659 for boys in 2025, 419 births
Given to boys 99.9% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1934 · 336 births
Debut · boys
8 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
33,789
since 1880

Lionel over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Lionel has never cracked the top 200 here.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201885peak #295, 1934boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025—#659419
2024—#562529
2023—#495609
2022—#620450
2021—#660410
2020—#659398
2019—#631428
2018—#634418
2017—#596458
2016—#583475
2015—#645405
2014—#662388
2013—#738317
2012—#807275
2011—#791282
2010—#899228
2009—#1,074173
2008—#1,133161
2007—#1,171151
2006—#1,224137
2005—#1,132144
2004—#1,235122
2003—#1,167128
2002—#1,160122
2001—#992154
2000—#998148
1999—#1,019136
1998—#913157
1997—#1,051121
1996—#974130
1995—#824169
1994—#847160
1993—#727204
1992—#746191
1991—#708205
1990—#665231
1989—#602265
1988—#584251
1987—#508310
1986#10,9125#484327
1985#10,6775#428401
1984#10,4225#387443
1983#10,2755#395420
1982—#455354
1981#6,8049#487293
1980—#483304
1979—#548243
1978—#521249
1977—#528251
1976—#486266
1975—#503252
1974—#553212
1973—#505239
1972—#542215
1971—#504260
1970—#522239
1969—#455283
1968—#466266
1967—#441292
1966—#449292
1965—#455290
1964—#421368
1963—#412382
1962—#402405
1961—#389420
1960—#364468
1959—#388416
1958#6,1035#412360
1957—#425336
1956—#365410
1955—#407323
1954—#372359
1953—#354385
1952—#366340
1951—#370340
1950—#355363
1949—#370336
1948—#368339
1947—#370349
1946—#360329
1945—#345306
1944—#343303
1943—#364284
1942—#366274
1941—#341287
1940—#352260
1939—#332277
1938—#333280
1937—#345247
1936—#314291
1935—#325281
1934—#295336
1933—#295321
1932—#310311
1931#4,3315#321290
1930—#330281
1929—#344265
1928—#326297
1927—#322319
1926—#338294
1925—#327309
1924—#322325
1923—#319329
1922—#338302
1921#5,0995#318334
1920—#362272
1919—#362253
1918—#356266
1917—#350255
1916—#385205
1915—#359224
1914—#365168
1913—#367129
1912—#346119
1911—#31474
1910—#48033
1909—#42834
1908—#43830
1907—#41730
1906—#42427
1905—#43025
1904—#48220
1903—#35330
1902—#49019
1901—#42220
1900—#44626
1899—#43818
1898—#43521
1897—#43819
1896—#43820
1895—#45619
1894—#41920
1893—#41919
1892—#7489
1891—#42717
1890—#51114
1889—#6739
1888—#7049
1887—#48813
1886—#57811
1885—#9365
1884—#8486
1883—#7207
1882—#9435
1881——
1880—#6828
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Lionel was already there! It came in at #682, and was given to 8 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1881–1882, when fewer than 6 boys a year got the name.

Where Lionel is popular in 1885

The SSA only publishes names by state from 1910 on.

See more about Lionel
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 97 spots since 2024 (#562 → #659)
  • Same as 2020 (#659)
  • 14 spots since 2015 (#645 → #659)
  • Biggest jump: 358 spots in 1886 (#936 → #578)
  • Biggest drop: 321 spots in 1892 (#427 → #748)
Rise & fade · boys
54 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1934 at #295 (336 births)
  • Births halved by 1994, 60 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 135 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 135 yrs · run 1882–1996
Share of babies · boys
1 in 2,809
  • Highest: 1 in 2,809 boys born in 2023 were named Lionel (0.04%)
  • Latest: 1 in 4,077 boys born in 2025 (0.02%)
  • Its best rank, #295 in 1934, was only 1 in 3,073 (0.03%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 2010s
  • 10.9% of all boys named Lionel (3,674) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s73#488 (1887)#730
1890s176#419 (1894)#473
1900s261#353 (1903)#433
1910s1,726#314 (1911)#368
1920s3,046#318 (1921)#332
1930s2,915#295 (1934)#320
1940s3,067#341 (1941)#358
1950s3,632#354 (1953)#381
1960s3,466#364 (1960)#425
1970s2,426#486 (1976)#521
1980s3,368#387 (1984)#481
1990s1,704#665 (1990)#847
2000s1,440#992 (2001)#1,129
2010s3,674#583 (2016)#699
2020s2,815#495 (2023)#609

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Lionel in 1885

boys
#936
5 births · 1 in 21,560 boys

Top boys' names in 1885

  1. #1John8,756
  2. #2William8,044
  3. #3James5,175
  4. #4George4,674
  5. #5Charles4,599
  6. #6Frank3,067
  7. #7Joseph2,540
  8. #8Henry2,406
  9. #9Robert2,322
  10. #10Thomas2,266
  11. #936Lionel5
More about 1885

boys

107,799 boys got a published name in 1885; 1 in 21,560 of them was named Lionel, which outranked 14.7% of the 1,097 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 40.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Lionel
  1. #836Wheeler6
  2. #836Zenas6
  3. #836Zollie6
  4. #936Lionel5
  5. #936Ada5
  6. #936Albion5
  7. #936Alcide5

Tied with 161 names at #936; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1884
Risers
  1. ↑ 426Bryant#848 → #422
  2. ↑ 424Butler#971 → #547
  3. ↑ 424Cyril#971 → #547
  4. ↑ 409Gerhard#848 → #439
  5. ↑ 394Rowland#971 → #577
Fallers
  1. ↓ 520Clarance#416 → #936
  2. ↓ 416Oswald#520 → #936
  3. ↓ 389Doctor#547 → #936
  4. ↓ 366Dexter#570 → #936
  5. ↓ 366Gustaf#570 → #936

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1885 →