Boys' name · peaked in 2023
Lionel name popularity since 1925
30,030 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Lionel. Half of them were born in 1971 or earlier, so the typical Lionel is about 55 years old in 2026. Lionel peaked in 2023 as the #495 name for boys, and it ranked #659 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 30,030
- Named Lionel, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #659
- for boys in 2025 (419 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.9% boys
- 39 girls · 29,991 boys
- Most popular in
- Louisiana
- 8.90× its national share
Peak year is the year Lionel made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Lionel births per year, 1925–2025
2023 was the biggest year for Lionel both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Steepest fall: Between 1985 and 1990, Lionel's share of baby boys fell by 48%, from 1 in 4,610 to 1 in 8,890.
- Fastest rise: Between 2009 and 2014, it became 2.3× more common, from 1 in 11,500 baby boys to 1 in 4,950.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Lionel's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Lionel.
Decade by decade
Babies named Lionel in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 1,484 | – |
| 1930s | 5 | 2,915 | #325 |
| 1940s | 0 | 3,067 | #345 |
| 1950s | 5 | 3,632 | #408 |
| 1960s | 0 | 3,466 | #455 |
| 1970s | 0 | 2,426 | #504 |
| 1980s | 29 | 3,368 | #428 |
| 1990s | 0 | 1,704 | #824 |
| 2000s | 0 | 1,440 | #1,135 |
| 2010s | 0 | 3,674 | #645 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 2,815 | #659 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
23.4% of babies named Lionel from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Baby Boom years (1946–1964). The full split by generation:
Where Lionel is most popular
The index compares Lionel's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Lionel.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 8.90× | 4,031 |
| Maine | 3.98× | 429 |
| Texas | 1.74× | 3,443 |
| Arizona | 1.50× | 490 |
| California | 1.36× | 3,630 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Lionel and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Lionel (this page) | 29,991 | 2023 |
| Lionell | 1,566 | 1949 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Lionel's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Lionel.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Lionel (2023).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data