Lydia
Lydia was the 92nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,692 babies. Its best year was 1883, when it ranked 75th; the most babies were born in 2014 (3,652). Over the last ten years it has moved down 12 places. More babies were named Lydia in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning woman from Lydia · Greek
Say it LID-ee-uh /ˈlɪdiə/
- Rank in 2025
- #92 girls, up 3 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,692girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20143,652 babies
- Total since 1880
- 187,317babies recorded
What does the name Lydia mean?
Lydia is a Greek name meaning 'woman from Lydia', an Iron Age kingdom in western Asia Minor (now Turkey). In the New Testament Lydia of Thyatira, a seller of purple cloth, welcomes Paul and his companions into her household in Acts 16; DMNES notes she was later honored as a saint. Wiktionary and Wikipedia also mention a gloss 'beautiful one, noble one', but the regional meaning is the basic one. DMNES finds Lydia in Dutch church records in 16th-century England.
Λυδία (Ancient Greek, “Lydia, region of Asia Minor”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Lidia, Lydie, Liddy.
See also: Greek names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Lydia', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- New Testament, Acts 16:14 (Greek text and translations via Bible Gateway), Bible Gateway
- Wiktionary, entry 'Lydia', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Lydia
The usual nicknames for Lydia are Liddy and Lyddie.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liddy | Traditional | — | — |
| Lyddie | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Lydias go by each one.
Lydia popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 278 since 1902.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #92 | 2,692 |
| 2020 | #95 | 2,804 |
| 2010 | #110 | 2,840 |
| 2000 | #147 | 2,321 |
| 1990 | #204 | 1,406 |
| 1980 | #287 | 862 |
| 1970 | #307 | 924 |
| 1960 | #205 | 1,670 |
| 1950 | #223 | 1,127 |
| 1940 | #235 | 726 |
| 1930 | #233 | 687 |
| 1920 | #185 | 1,118 |
| 1910 | #152 | 537 |
| 1900 | #104 | 644 |
| 1890 | #78 | 576 |
| 1880 | #77 | 302 |
How popular is Lydia, counting every spelling?
Lydia is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #113 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #92 for Lydia on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,830 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lydia | 2,692 | #92 | 13,858 |
| Lidia | 132 | #1,589 | 651 |
| Lydiah | 6 | #14,249 | 34 |
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 Lydia?
2,692 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lydia (0.75 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Lydia 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 3 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Lydia.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Lydia?
About 138,300 people born in the US named Lydia are alive today, with a median age of 24; half are between 12 and 48. That makes Lydia mostly worn by children and young adults. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Lydia by state
How common Lydia was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wyoming (4.7×), Vermont (4.0×), Maine (3.8×), North Dakota (3.7×), South Dakota (3.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in California, New Jersey, Hawaii.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Lydia: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lydia, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Lydia · Sibling names for Lydia
Questions about the name Lydia
What does Lydia mean?
Lydia means “woman from Lydia” (Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Lydia?
Lydia was the 92nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,692 babies. Its best year was 1883, when it ranked 75th; the most babies were born in 2014 (3,652). Over the last ten years it has moved down 12 places. More babies were named Lydia in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Lydia a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Lydia in the US.
Where is Lydia most popular?
In 2021–2025, Lydia was most common in Wyoming (7.98 per 1,000 girls), followed by Vermont and Maine.