unisex name
London
LUN-dun
- Origin American
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 57,142
the United States
#431
2025 births
London is a girls' name in America and barely used in England — 81 percent of the births in our records are female, it ranks 431st in the United States, and 3355th in the country containing the city it names.
- London is a name of American origin.
- Peaked in 2013, when 3,879 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,842 babies in the United States is given this name.
- London started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
- First appears in US birth records in 1886.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
London over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 10 |
| 1900s | 10 |
| 1910s | 70 |
| 1920s | 84 |
| 1930s | 40 |
| 1940s | 65 |
| 1950s | 70 |
| 1960s | 258 |
| 1970s | 363 |
| 1980s | 807 |
| 1990s | 2,739 |
| 2000s | 11,985 |
| 2010s | 30,548 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 7,730 |
What London means
London names the city, and the city's own name has no agreed meaning. It is a place name used directly, so any sense attached to it belongs to the place rather than the person.
Where London comes from
London is the city, and its name is genuinely unexplained. Londinium is the Roman form, but the word is pre-Roman and proposals have included a personal name, a word for a wild or bold place, and a river name meaning something like the flooding one. Geoffrey of Monmouth's derivation from a King Lud is medieval invention. Use as a given name is American and recent, and overwhelmingly female — which is the reverse of most place names, which lean male.
London in use
London peaked in the United States in 2013, when 3,879 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 431st in the United States on 863 births, 2672nd in France on 10 and 3355th in England and Wales on 13, across 57,142 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. About 81 percent of recorded births are female.
How popular is London?
In 2025, London was given to 863 babies in the United States, ranking #431 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where London is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside London
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like London also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with London over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
London in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for London
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with London — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about London
What does the name London mean?
Nothing established. The city's own name is pre-Roman and unexplained.
Is London a girls' name?
In America, mostly — about 81 percent of the births in our records are female.
Is it used in England?
Barely. It ranks 3355th in England and Wales against 431st in the United States.
Did a King Lud name it?
No. That derivation is a medieval invention of Geoffrey of Monmouth.
How popular is the name London?
In 2025, London was given to 863 babies in the United States, ranking #431 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in London?
London has 2 syllables.
When was London most popular?
London peaked in 2013, when 3,879 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is London a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. London currently ranks #431 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.