Names/L

Lionel

boys’ nameAt its peakCompare

Lionel is ranked 561st among boys in 2024 (528 births). Its best rank was 295th, in 1933–1934.

Rank in 2024
#561down 65 from 2023
Births in 2024
5280.03% of boys
Peak year
2023607 births
Best rank
#295first in 1933
Since 1880
33,366people given the name
Babies named Lionel, by year of birthboys
02505007501k18801900192019401960198020002020

The story in the numbers

33,366 boys have been named Lionel in the United States since 1880, according to Social Security records. The busiest single year was 2023, with 607 births.

It has never been more used than now: its record year is 2023, within the last few years of data.

Half of everyone given the name was born by 1964, and the 2010s alone account for 11%. It has spent 131 of 145 years in the top 1,000.

Rank among boys, year by year

Higher on the chart = more popularrank (gaps = outside the top 1,000)
#1#250#500#750#100018801900192019401960198020002020

By decade

Decadeboys named Lionel
1880s73
1890s176
1900s261
1910s1,726
1920s3,046
1930s2,915
1940s3,067
1950s3,632
1960s3,466
1970s2,426
1980s3,369
1990s1,704
2000s1,440
2010s3,674
2020s2,391

In 2023, its biggest year

Lionel was the 496th most given boy’s name that year. The top five boys’ names of 2023 were Liam, Noah, Oliver, James and Elijah. See all of 2023.

Names that rose and fell with Lionel

Same sex, most similar popularity curve over 145 years, in five-year steps — the shape of the line, not the size.

Other spellings in the data

What this page does not tell you. The Social Security data records how many babies were given a name, not what the name means or where it comes from — so neither do we. Counts cover people with a Social Security number; names given to fewer than five babies in a year are withheld. More on the data.