Lion
Boy name · #3194 in 2025 · Uniqueness 58/100
Lion is currently the #3194 boy name in the United States — 37 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #4179, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 48,649 boys born in 2025 was named Lion.
Babies named Lion per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
The 103-year story
Lion first appears in the Social Security records in 1922, when 6 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2022, with 43 babies and a rank of #2919. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Lion against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Lion in class?
Lion scores 58 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "distinctive" band. That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Lion is most common
State-level data for Lion is sparse in 2025 — the name's footprint is too small for most states to report (the SSA suppresses counts under 5 per state for privacy).
Names like Lion
Statistically, parents drawn to Lion tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Sion, Xion, Lyon, Kayvion, and Champion.
SionXionLyonKayvionChampionAvionAzarionKion
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Lion | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 37 | #3181 |
| 2024 | 31 | #3605 |
| 2023 | 41 | #3005 |
| 2022 | 43 | #2919 |
| 2021 | 24 | #4247 |
| 2020 | 23 | #4275 |
| 2019 | 32 | #3496 |
| 2018 | 28 | #3793 |
| 2017 | 29 | #3678 |
| 2016 | 18 | #5124 |
| 2015 | 24 | #4179 |
| 2014 | 18 | #5066 |
| 2013 | 13 | #6241 |
| 2012 | 8 | #8864 |
| 2011 | 8 | #8767 |
| 2010 | 10 | #7591 |
| 2009 | 5 | #12491 |
| 2008 | 14 | #6070 |
| 2007 | 5 | #12367 |
| 2005 | 8 | #8299 |
| 1999 | 5 | #9912 |
| 1995 | 5 | #8868 |
| 1994 | 7 | #6968 |
| 1993 | 6 | #7638 |
| 1922 | 6 | #3872 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Lion a popular boy name?
Lion ranked #3194 among boys in 2025 with 37 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #4179.
When was the name Lion most popular?
Lion peaked in 2022, when 43 American boys received the name (ranked #2919 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Lion?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 48,649 newborn American boys was named Lion. It scores 58/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "distinctive".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.