Byron
Byron was the 981st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 233 babies. Its best year was 1882, when it ranked 194th; the most babies were born in 1964 (1,284). Over the last ten years it has moved down 382 places. More babies were named Byron in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning at the cattle sheds · English, Old English
Say it BY-run /ˈbaɪɹən/
- Rank in 2025
- #981 boys, down 191 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 233boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19641,284 babies
- Total since 1880
- 82,541babies recorded
What does the name Byron mean?
Byron is an English surname from Old English byrum 'at the byres', that is, at the cowsheds, as Wiktionary notes; it was first a name for someone who lived or worked at a cattle farm. Its fame comes from the Romantic poet Lord Byron (George Gordon Byron, 1788-1824). Wiktionary notes that its use as a first name is mostly American, and SSA records it from 1880.
byre (Old English, “cowshed, byre”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Biron.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Byron', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Byron popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 303 since 1918.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #981 | 233 |
| 2020 | #790 | 294 |
| 2010 | #465 | 565 |
| 2000 | #439 | 544 |
| 1990 | #265 | 1,016 |
| 1980 | #231 | 1,025 |
| 1970 | #206 | 1,230 |
| 1960 | #234 | 1,191 |
| 1950 | #222 | 830 |
| 1940 | #227 | 547 |
| 1930 | #256 | 474 |
| 1920 | #224 | 571 |
| 1910 | #256 | 89 |
| 1900 | #262 | 61 |
| 1890 | #230 | 52 |
| 1880 | #225 | 52 |
How popular is Byron, counting every spelling?
Byron is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #943 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #981 for Byron on its own. Together these spellings went to 233 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Byron | 233 | #981 | 1,402 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Byron?
233 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Byron (0.06 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Byron born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 36 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Byron.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Byron?
About 55,900 people born in the US named Byron are alive today, with a median age of 48; half are between 31 and 63. That makes Byron mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Byron by state
How common Byron was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Maryland (1.8×), Massachusetts (1.6×), Louisiana (1.6×). In 20 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Byron: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Byron, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Byron · Sibling names for Byron
Questions about the name Byron
What does Byron mean?
Byron means “at the cattle sheds” (English, Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Byron?
Byron was the 981st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 233 babies. Its best year was 1882, when it ranked 194th; the most babies were born in 1964 (1,284). Over the last ten years it has moved down 382 places. More babies were named Byron in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Byron a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Byron in the US.
Where is Byron most popular?
In 2021–2025, Byron was most common in Maryland (0.29 per 1,000 boys), followed by Massachusetts and Louisiana.