girl's name
Lydia
LID-ee-uh
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 248,309
the United States
#92
2025 births
Lydia is a girl's name meaning "woman from Lydia," an ancient kingdom in what is now western Turkey. The Lydians are credited with minting the first true coins in the seventh century BC, and their last king was Croesus, proverbial for wealth.
- Lydia is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 2014, when 3,652 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,232 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Lydia 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 | 3,902 |
| 1890s | 5,942 |
| 1900s | 5,247 |
| 1910s | 9,025 |
| 1920s | 9,303 |
| 1930s | 6,700 |
| 1940s | 9,215 |
| 1950s | 14,635 |
| 1960s | 11,737 |
| 1970s | 7,641 |
| 1980s | 11,122 |
| 1990s | 16,991 |
| 2000s | 26,441 |
| 2010s | 32,748 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 16,668 |
What Lydia means
Lydia means a woman of Lydia, so it is a regional name rather than a descriptive one. The kingdom's own name is of uncertain origin and does not resolve into a meaning.
Where Lydia comes from
Lydia takes its name from the kingdom of Lydia in Anatolia, whose capital was Sardis. The Lydians are generally credited with striking the first standardized coinage from electrum, a gold-silver alloy found in local rivers, and their final king Croesus became a byword for riches — the phrase rich as Croesus survives in English. The name appears in the New Testament: Lydia of Thyatira, a dealer in purple cloth, is described in Acts as the first European convert to Christianity, and purple dye was itself a Lydian regional trade. English adopted the name after the Reformation and it became fashionable in the eighteenth century.
Lydia in use
The Lydians minted the first true coins, and their last king Croesus gave English the phrase rich as Croesus.
How popular is Lydia?
In 2025, Lydia was given to 2,692 babies in the United States, ranking #92 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Lydia 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 Lydia
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Lydia also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Lydia over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Lydia
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Lydia 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 Lydia
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Lydia — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Lydia
What does the name Lydia mean?
Lydia means "woman from Lydia," an ancient kingdom in western Anatolia.
Is Lydia a biblical name?
Yes. Lydia of Thyatira, a dealer in purple cloth, appears in Acts as the first European convert.
What was Lydia known for?
Minting the first true coins, and its final king Croesus, proverbial for wealth.
How popular is the name Lydia?
In 2025, Lydia was given to 2,692 babies in the United States, ranking #92 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Lydia a girl's or a boy's name?
Lydia is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Lydia?
Lydia has 3 syllables.
When was Lydia most popular?
Lydia peaked in 2014, when 3,652 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Lydia?
Lydia is usually shortened to Liddy.
Is Lydia a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Lydia currently ranks #90 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.