Lydie
A feminine French name derived from an ancient Greek word meaning "singer".
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the first name Lydie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lydie today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lydie births was 1919 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lydie. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
132
~ 1 in 2,596,624 Americans
Peak year
1919
16 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,888
Tracked since 1888
Popularity
Lydie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lydie from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 75 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Lydie remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lydie by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Lydie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lydies live
Origin
Meaning and history of Lydie
The name Lydie is a feminine given name of French origin. It is a variant spelling of the name Lydia, which has its roots in the Ancient Greek region of Lydia, located in modern-day western Turkey. The name Lydia is believed to be derived from the Greek word "lydios," meaning "from Lydia."
The earliest known use of the name Lydia dates back to ancient times, appearing in Greek mythology and classical literature. In Greek mythology, Lydia was the name of a beautiful princess who was turned into a walnut tree by jealous gods. The name was also borne by several historical figures from the region of Lydia, including Lydia, a woman from Thyatira mentioned in the New Testament book of Acts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lydie can be found in the writings of the French philosopher and essayist Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), who mentioned a woman named Lydie in his famous work, "Essays." Another notable bearer of the name was Lydie Schmit (1711-1785), a French artist and painter known for her portraits and religious works.
In the 19th century, the name Lydie gained popularity in France and other French-speaking regions. One famous bearer of the name was Lydie Denier (1842-1925), a French opera singer and soprano who performed at the Paris Opera and other prestigious venues throughout Europe.
Another notable Lydie was Lydie Bastien (1879-1953), a French feminist and activist who fought for women's rights and suffrage in the early 20th century. She was a member of the French Union for Women's Suffrage and played a significant role in the movement for gender equality.
In the world of literature, the name Lydie was borne by Lydie Salomon (1891-1977), a French novelist and playwright who wrote several novels and plays exploring themes of love, family, and social issues in the early 20th century.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have carried the name Lydie, a name with a rich cultural heritage and a long-standing legacy in the French-speaking world.
People
Lydie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lydie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lydie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lydie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 132 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lydie going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,596,624 US residents.
Is Lydie a common name?
We classify Lydie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 330 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lydie most popular?
The single biggest year for Lydie was 1919, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lydie is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lydie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lydie in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.