Langston
Langston was the 1000th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 227 babies. Its best year was 2016, when it ranked 652nd with 405 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 311 places. More babies were named Langston in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning long stone · English, Old English
Say it LANG-stun /ˈlæŋstən/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,000 boys, down 306 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 227boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2016405 babies
- Total since 1880
- 7,664babies recorded
What does the name Langston mean?
Langston is an English surname from places named after a tall standing stone, from Old English lang 'long, tall' and stān 'stone', as Wiktionary notes. As a first name it is strongly associated with the poet Langston Hughes, a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance, who was named after his mother's family, the Langstons. It has been used as a first name in the US since the early 20th century.
lang (Old English, “long, tall”)stān (Old English, “stone”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Langley, Lang.
See also: English names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Langston', 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)
Langston popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 345 since 2006, 7 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,000 | 227 |
| 2020 | #694 | 367 |
| 2010 | #1,078 | 180 |
| 2000 | #1,632 | 72 |
| 1990 | #1,924 | 40 |
| 1980 | #2,797 | 17 |
| 1970 | #2,809 | 12 |
| 1960 | #2,083 | 16 |
| 1950 | #2,680 | 9 |
| 1940 | #3,305 | 6 |
| 1930 | #2,898 | 9 |
| 1920 | #2,287 | 14 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Langston, counting every spelling?
Langston is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #959 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,000 for Langston on its own. Together these spellings went to 227 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Langston | 227 | #1,000 | 1,408 |
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 Langston?
227 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Langston (0.06 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Langston 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 37 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Langston.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Langston?
About 6,900 people born in the US named Langston are alive today, with a median age of 11; half are between 6 and 19. That makes Langston a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Langston by state
How common Langston was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Oklahoma (4.0×), Alabama (3.3×), Tennessee (3.0×), South Carolina (2.9×), Mississippi (2.8×). In 21 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 Langston: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Langston, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Langston · Sibling names for Langston
Questions about the name Langston
What does Langston mean?
Langston means “long stone” (English, Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Langston?
Langston was the 1000th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 227 babies. Its best year was 2016, when it ranked 652nd with 405 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 311 places. More babies were named Langston in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Langston a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Langston in the US.
Where is Langston most popular?
In 2021–2025, Langston was most common in District of Columbia (0.81 per 1,000 boys), followed by Oklahoma and Alabama.