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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201944peak #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.

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 1944

boys
#343
303 births · 1 in 4,498 boys

Top boys' names in 1944

  1. #1James76,951
  2. #2Robert70,855
  3. #3John66,616
  4. #4William52,375
  5. #5Richard45,643
  6. #6David37,382
  7. #7Charles34,662
  8. #8Thomas31,604
  9. #9Michael26,717
  10. #10Ronald25,513
  11. #343Lionel303
More about 1944

boys

1,362,875 boys got a published name in 1944; 1 in 4,498 of them was named Lionel, which outranked 91.2% of the 3,909 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 34.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Lionel
  1. #340Harley309
  2. #341Bradley307
  3. #341Ed307
  4. #343Lionel303
  5. #343Darwin303
  6. #345Kerry297
  7. #346Cleveland296
  8. #347Denny295

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1943
Risers
  1. 647Rickie#1,461#814
  2. 586Rusty#1,577#991
  3. 585Humberto#1,280#695
  4. 408Llewellyn#1,343#935
  5. 402Hilario#1,308#906
Fallers
  1. 359Elwyn#923#1,282
  2. 356Albin#856#1,212
  3. 348Prentiss#980#1,328
  4. 286Barrie#969#1,255
  5. 269Duke#986#1,255

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

See the top 100 for 1944