Meaning not yet researched.
Lionel: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 419 in 2025. Its best rank was #295 in 1934.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #295 in 1934; #659 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Lionel in 2025 was a boy.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#659 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 1934, at #295.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Lionel: US boys given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 419 boys in 2025. Peak: #295 in 1934 · most boys in one year: 609 (2023).
In 2025, 419 US boys were named Lionel, making it the 659th most common boys’ name of the year, down 97 places from #562 in 2024. That is 110 fewer than the 529 boys named Lionel in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #295, reached in 1934. The most boys given the name in a single year was 609, in 2023. For comparison, it was #645 in 2015 and #355 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Lionel in 145 years of the 146 from 1880 to 2025, starting in 1880 with 8 babies. In all, 33,833 US babies have been given the name, 0.1% of them girls and 99.8% boys. Its busiest decade was the 2010s, with 3,674 babies named Lionel.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 4,594 US boys were named Lionel; the busiest of those years was 2023, with 609. In 2025 that was about 1 in 4,077 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Lionel ranked highest in California in 2025, at #381 for boys there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Related spellings in the SSA files include Leonel (27,072 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Lionell, Linell and Lyonel are summarised on this page. The open nickname list we use links it to Leon.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Rare spellings summarised here: Lionell (1,613), Linell (452), Lyonel (257), Leonell (155), Linnell (145), Lynnel (106), Lional (100), Lynel (79), Leonello (23), Leonnel (17), Lennel (5), Leoniel (5).
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
US boys. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five boys got the name, so 27 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 88 | #381 | #402 |
| Oregon | 9 | #425 | — |
| Illinois | 24 | #455 | #479 |
| New Jersey | 16 | #478 | #531 |
| Nevada | 6 | #490 | #548 |
| Arizona | 14 | #513 | #379 |
| Texas | 61 | #537 | #432 |
| Utah | 8 | #537 | #658 |
| Maryland | 9 | #545 | — |
| Massachusetts | 8 | #594 | #430 |
| Kansas | 5 | #662 | — |
| North Carolina | 14 | #667 | #873 |
| Colorado | 7 | #728 | #858 |
| Indiana | 8 | #751 | #977 |
| Washington | 8 | #773 | — |
| Michigan | 9 | #809 | #858 |
| Alabama | 5 | #836 | — |
| New York | 16 | #872 | #660 |
| Pennsylvania | 9 | #891 | #1,115 |
| Florida | 16 | #903 | #826 |
| Georgia | 9 | #959 | #821 |
| Virginia | 6 | #1,041 | — |
| Ohio | 7 | #1,081 | #1,321 |
| Tennessee | 5 | #1,129 | — |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | — | 419 | #659 |
| 2024 | — | — | 529 | #562 |
| 2023 | — | — | 609 | #495 |
| 2022 | — | — | 450 | #622 |
| 2021 | — | — | 410 | #662 |
| 2020 | — | — | 398 | #662 |
| 2019 | — | — | 428 | #631 |
| 2018 | — | — | 418 | #634 |
| 2017 | — | — | 458 | #596 |
| 2016 | — | — | 475 | #583 |
| 2015 | — | — | 405 | #645 |
| 2014 | — | — | 388 | #663 |
| 2013 | — | — | 317 | #739 |
| 2012 | — | — | 275 | #809 |
| 2011 | — | — | 282 | #791 |
| 2010 | — | — | 228 | #899 |
| 2009 | — | — | 173 | #1,075 |
| 2008 | — | — | 161 | #1,135 |
| 2007 | — | — | 151 | #1,174 |
| 2006 | — | — | 137 | #1,226 |
| 2005 | — | — | 144 | #1,135 |
| 2004 | — | — | 122 | #1,242 |
| 2003 | — | — | 128 | #1,170 |
| 2002 | — | — | 122 | #1,164 |
| 2001 | — | — | 154 | #993 |
| 2000 | — | — | 148 | #1,002 |
| 1999 | — | — | 136 | #1,023 |
| 1998 | — | — | 157 | #915 |
| 1997 | — | — | 121 | #1,054 |
| 1996 | — | — | 130 | #975 |
| 1995 | — | — | 169 | #824 |
| 1994 | — | — | 160 | #848 |
| 1993 | — | — | 204 | #729 |
| 1992 | — | — | 191 | #747 |
| 1991 | — | — | 205 | #709 |
| 1990 | — | — | 231 | #666 |
| 1989 | — | — | 265 | #602 |
| 1988 | — | — | 251 | #585 |
| 1987 | — | — | 310 | #509 |
| 1986 | 5 | #11,980 | 327 | #484 |
| 1985 | 5 | #11,689 | 401 | #428 |
| 1984 | 5 | #11,401 | 443 | #387 |
| 1983 | 5 | #11,230 | 420 | #396 |
| 1982 | — | — | 354 | #455 |
| 1981 | 9 | #7,120 | 293 | #488 |
| 1980 | — | — | 304 | #483 |
| 1979 | — | — | 243 | #549 |
| 1978 | — | — | 249 | #521 |
| 1977 | — | — | 251 | #529 |
| 1976 | — | — | 266 | #487 |
| 1975 | — | — | 252 | #504 |
| 1974 | — | — | 212 | #553 |
| 1973 | — | — | 239 | #505 |
| 1972 | — | — | 215 | #542 |
| 1971 | — | — | 260 | #504 |
| 1970 | — | — | 239 | #522 |
| 1969 | — | — | 283 | #456 |
| 1968 | — | — | 266 | #466 |
| 1967 | — | — | 292 | #442 |
| 1966 | — | — | 292 | #449 |
| 1965 | — | — | 290 | #455 |
| 1964 | — | — | 368 | #421 |
| 1963 | — | — | 382 | #412 |
| 1962 | — | — | 405 | #402 |
| 1961 | — | — | 420 | #389 |
| 1960 | — | — | 468 | #364 |
| 1959 | — | — | 416 | #388 |
| 1958 | 5 | #6,609 | 360 | #413 |
| 1957 | — | — | 336 | #425 |
| 1956 | — | — | 410 | #365 |
| 1955 | — | — | 323 | #408 |
| 1954 | — | — | 359 | #372 |
| 1953 | — | — | 385 | #354 |
| 1952 | — | — | 340 | #366 |
| 1951 | — | — | 340 | #371 |
| 1950 | — | — | 363 | #355 |
| 1949 | — | — | 336 | #370 |
| 1948 | — | — | 339 | #368 |
| 1947 | — | — | 349 | #371 |
| 1946 | — | — | 329 | #360 |
| 1945 | — | — | 306 | #345 |
| 1944 | — | — | 303 | #344 |
| 1943 | — | — | 284 | #364 |
| 1942 | — | — | 274 | #367 |
| 1941 | — | — | 287 | #342 |
| 1940 | — | — | 260 | #352 |
| 1939 | — | — | 277 | #334 |
| 1938 | — | — | 280 | #333 |
| 1937 | — | — | 247 | #345 |
| 1936 | — | — | 291 | #315 |
| 1935 | — | — | 281 | #325 |
| 1934 | — | — | 336 | #295 |
| 1933 | — | — | 321 | #295 |
| 1932 | — | — | 311 | #310 |
| 1931 | 5 | #4,708 | 290 | #321 |
| 1930 | — | — | 281 | #330 |
| 1929 | — | — | 265 | #344 |
| 1928 | — | — | 297 | #326 |
| 1927 | — | — | 319 | #322 |
| 1926 | — | — | 294 | #339 |
| 1925 | — | — | 309 | #328 |
| 1924 | — | — | 325 | #322 |
| 1923 | — | — | 329 | #320 |
| 1922 | — | — | 302 | #338 |
| 1921 | 5 | #5,552 | 334 | #319 |
| 1920 | — | — | 272 | #363 |
| 1919 | — | — | 253 | #362 |
| 1918 | — | — | 266 | #356 |
| 1917 | — | — | 255 | #350 |
| 1916 | — | — | 205 | #385 |
| 1915 | — | — | 224 | #359 |
| 1914 | — | — | 168 | #365 |
| 1913 | — | — | 129 | #368 |
| 1912 | — | — | 119 | #346 |
| 1911 | — | — | 74 | #315 |
| 1910 | — | — | 33 | #489 |
| 1909 | — | — | 34 | #430 |
| 1908 | — | — | 30 | #445 |
| 1907 | — | — | 30 | #425 |
| 1906 | — | — | 27 | #428 |
| 1905 | — | — | 25 | #443 |
| 1904 | — | — | 20 | #484 |
| 1903 | — | — | 30 | #355 |
| 1902 | — | — | 19 | #498 |
| 1901 | — | — | 20 | #431 |
| 1900 | — | — | 26 | #451 |
| 1899 | — | — | 18 | #447 |
| 1898 | — | — | 21 | #446 |
| 1897 | — | — | 19 | #448 |
| 1896 | — | — | 20 | #453 |
| 1895 | — | — | 19 | #466 |
| 1894 | — | — | 20 | #431 |
| 1893 | — | — | 19 | #425 |
| 1892 | — | — | 9 | #776 |
| 1891 | — | — | 17 | #438 |
| 1890 | — | — | 14 | #523 |
| 1889 | — | — | 9 | #703 |
| 1888 | — | — | 9 | #733 |
| 1887 | — | — | 13 | #503 |
| 1886 | — | — | 11 | #588 |
| 1885 | — | — | 5 | #1,028 |
| 1884 | — | — | 6 | #925 |
| 1883 | — | — | 7 | #770 |
| 1882 | — | — | 5 | #1,029 |
| 1880 | — | — | 8 | #718 |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).