Lion
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- LY-on
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #5,065 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #3,180 for boys
Lion is a boys' name of English origin, meaning “lion”. In 2025 it ranked 5,065th for boys in the UK (3 babies) and 3,180th for boys in the US (37 babies).
What does Lion mean?
English: the animal name, from Latin leo
“lion”
Also an established name in Germany and the Netherlands, borne by the novelist Lion Feuchtwanger.
Is Lion a girl's or a boy's name?
Lion is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 3 boys in the UK and 37 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Lion in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 5,065th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 3 about 1 in 100,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 20% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 3 boys in the UK were named Lion, making it the 5,065th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,803rd. Its busiest year was 2024, with 8 boys.
Half of all the boys named Lion in the UK since 1996 were born between 2017 and 2023, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 4,974th in England and Wales.
Lion in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | #5,065 |
| 2024 | 8 | #2,750 |
| 2023 | 7 | #2,965 |
| 2022 | 6 | #3,219 |
| 2021 | 3 | #4,989 |
| 2020 | 3 | #4,803 |
| 2019 | 5 | #3,597 |
| 2018 | 7 | #2,823 |
| 2017 | 7 | #2,875 |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 3 | #4,837 |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 0 | – |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 3 | #3,325 |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 4 | #2,612 |
How popular is Lion in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 3,180th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 37 about 1 in 46,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 31% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 37 boys in the US were named Lion, making it the 3,180th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,271st. Its busiest year was 2022, with 43 boys. It first appears in the records in 1922.
Half of all the boys named Lion in the US since 1880 were born between 2014 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 142 boys in the US were given Lion or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,211, up from #3,180 for this spelling alone.
Lion in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 37 | #3,180 |
| 2024 | 31 | #3,603 |
| 2023 | 41 | #3,004 |
| 2022 | 43 | #2,917 |
| 2021 | 24 | #4,243 |
| 2020 | 23 | #4,271 |
| 2019 | 32 | #3,493 |
| 2018 | 28 | #3,789 |
| 2017 | 29 | #3,674 |
| 2016 | 18 | #5,120 |
| 2015 | 24 | #4,177 |
| 2014 | 18 | #5,062 |
| 2013 | 13 | #6,236 |
| 2012 | 8 | #8,858 |
| 2011 | 8 | #8,760 |
| 2010 | 10 | #7,585 |
| 2009 | 5 | #12,486 |
| 2008 | 14 | #6,065 |
| 2007 | 5 | #12,361 |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 8 | #8,292 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 5 | #9,905 |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 0 | – |
| 1995 | 5 | #8,861 |
| 1994 | 7 | #6,962 |
| 1993 | 6 | #7,631 |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 0 | – |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 0 | – |
| 1958 | 0 | – |
| 1957 | 0 | – |
| 1956 | 0 | – |
| 1955 | 0 | – |
| 1954 | 0 | – |
| 1953 | 0 | – |
| 1952 | 0 | – |
| 1951 | 0 | – |
| 1950 | 0 | – |
| 1949 | 0 | – |
| 1948 | 0 | – |
| 1947 | 0 | – |
| 1946 | 0 | – |
| 1945 | 0 | – |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 0 | – |
| 1941 | 0 | – |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 0 | – |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 0 | – |
| 1935 | 0 | – |
| 1934 | 0 | – |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 0 | – |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 0 | – |
| 1928 | 0 | – |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 0 | – |
| 1923 | 0 | – |
| 1922 | 6 | #3,870 |
Names like Lion
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Hudson, Oakley, Jaxon, Rowan, Grayson, Albie, Lochlan, Archer, Marley, Lincoln, Ronan, Cillian
Other spellings of Lion
Names related to Lion
More English names
Lily, Evelyn, Ivy, Harper, Grace, Violet, Willow, Daisy, Poppy, Riley, Mason, Cooper, Ruby, Hallie, Hazel, Carter
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Lion: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/lion, updated 20 October 2026.