Lydia

Where Lydia comes from

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.
— Wiktionary's entry for Lydia
  • Ancient Greek
  • 3 syllables
  • Vowel-ended
Along the way
  1. 1843
    Lydia Koidula born
    Estonian poet
  2. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #77 among girls — 302 babies in the first year on record.
  3. 1883
    Peak, #75
    378 babies named Lydia — more than any year before or since.
  4. 1947
    Lydia Davis born
    American writer
In the dictionary
  • A female given name from Ancient Greek.
Namesakes
  • Lydia Koidula · Estonian poet, 1843–1886
  • Lydia Davis · American writer, born 1947
  • Lydia Maria Child · American abolitionist, author and women's rights activist, 1802–1880
  • Lydia of Thyatira · 1st‑century Lydian merchant of purple cloth, Christian saint, early European convert to Christianity mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, 100–100
  • Lydia Cacho · Mexican journalist, born 1963

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.