Nameling

Lydia

Gender
Girl
Say it
LID-ee-a
Origin
Greek
UK rank, 2025
#160 for girls
US rank, 2025
#92 for girls

Vintage revival

Lydia is a girls' name of Greek origin, meaning “woman from Lydia”. In 2025 it ranked 160th for girls in the UK (352 babies) and 92nd for girls in the US (2,692 babies).

What does Lydia mean?

Greek

“woman from Lydia”

In Acts, Lydia, a seller of purple cloth, becomes St Paul's first recorded convert in Europe.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Lydia a girl's or a boy's name?

Lydia is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 352 girls in the UK and 2,692 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Lydia in the UK?

Rank in 2025
#160among girls
Babies in 2025
352about 1 in 790 girls
Five-year trend
Steadydown 16% in five years
Same name in a class
1.8%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 352 girls in the UK were named Lydia, making it the 160th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 142nd. Its busiest year was 1998, with 1,124 girls.

Half of all the girls named Lydia in the UK since 1996 were born between 2000 and 2014. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.

In 2025, 372 girls in the UK were given Lydia or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #172.

Among girls in 2025, it was 158th in England and Wales, 217th in Scotland and 117th in Northern Ireland.

In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1904 (#91), 1994 (#71), 2004 (#70) and 2014 (#94).

1996Busiest: 1,124 in 19982025
Lydia in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025352#160
2024338#169
2023363#153
2022336#165
2021398#147
2020404#142
2019422#136
2018428#142
2017512#120
2016607#108
2015591#111
2014639#102
2013585#104
2012636#103
2011621#103
2010580#112
2009666#98
2008704#90
2007692#90
2006675#90
2005679#89
2004800#74
2003782#73
2002713#83
2001889#65
2000948#61
19991,112#53
19981,124#55
19971,097#61
19961,022#63

How popular is Lydia in the US?

Rank in 2025
#92among girls
Babies in 2025
2,692about 1 in 600 girls
Five-year trend
Steadydown 10% in five years
Same name in a class
2.3%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 2,692 girls in the US were named Lydia, making it the 92nd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 95th. Its busiest year was 2014, with 3,652 girls.

Half of all the girls named Lydia in the US since 1880 were born between 1947 and 2010, the years shaded on the chart below.

1880Busiest: 3,652 in 20142025
Lydia in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
20252,692#92
20242,678#97
20232,735#94
20222,818#93
20212,935#89
20202,804#95
20193,015#94
20183,213#89
20173,341#85
20163,625#80
20153,514#80
20143,652#84
20133,262#95
20123,176#95
20113,092#96
20102,840#110
20092,830#117
20082,876#120
20072,773#124
20062,668#130
20052,785#119
20042,636#126
20032,647#127
20022,512#137
20012,364#140
20002,321#146
19992,189#148
19982,071#153
19971,937#160
19961,813#173
19951,759#169
19941,603#188
19931,421#206
19921,414#201
19911,378#214
19901,406#204
19891,262#217
19881,174#221
19871,209#219
19861,129#229
19851,220#212
19841,201#217
19831,023#239
19821,051#240
1981940#265
1980862#287
1979803#296
1978708#323
1977765#311
1976747#307
1975669#333
1974722#316
1973677#329
1972753#319
1971844#314
1970924#307
1969807#320
1968863#300
1967877#289
1966954#273
19651,079#263
19641,183#258
19631,291#246
19621,412#226
19611,573#214
19601,670#205
19591,561#210
19581,577#207
19571,621#206
19561,545#206
19551,585#200
19541,560#197
19531,560#201
19521,327#213
19511,150#225
19501,127#223
19491,241#214
19481,222#209
19471,050#230
1946886#239
1945856#224
1944807#233
1943864#228
1942854#225
1941682#247
1940726#234
1939680#238
1938677#242
1937687#237
1936688#237
1935669#244
1934632#248
1933668#237
1932630#246
1931646#235
1930687#233
1929745#223
1928815#219
1927876#217
1926813#223
1925954#207
1924912#214
1923966#204
19221,025#199
19211,052#197
19201,118#185
19191,059#186
19181,148#179
19171,180#169
19161,148#168
19151,086#169
1914839#168
1913759#154
1912701#152
1911568#142
1910537#152
1909503#142
1908499#140
1907512#130
1906477#132
1905518#123
1904545#112
1903502#116
1902535#112
1901507#103
1900644#104
1899566#97
1898677#88
1897642#83
1896580#91
1895656#85
1894618#85
1893598#81
1892522#93
1891507#86
1890576#78
1889496#83
1888472#85
1887448#76
1886392#87
1885404#77
1884369#80
1883378#75
1882342#76
1881299#77
1880302#77

Nicknames for Lydia

Names like Lydia

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Georgia Lucy Emma Sophie Chloe Anna Eleanor Zoe Hannah Leah Emily Ellie

Other spellings of Lydia

Lidia Lydiah

Names related to Lydia

Lydie Leydi Leyda Lyda

More Greek names

Luca Theodore Sophia George Theo Lucas Sofia Alexander Sebastian Penelope Phoebe Margot Luke Iris Maisie Lainey

Every Greek name

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, “Lydia: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/lydia, updated 20 October 2026.