Given name & surname
Lion
“resembling the animal”
Lion is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “resembling the animal.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “resembling the animal.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1922. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Lion through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 448
- 448 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2022
- 43 babies
- 2025
- 37
- #3,219 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +35%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 37 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,219 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 35.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, New York and Texas shared the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (5 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 514 as a first name in 2020; 1,100 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Lion’s family of names
In German usage, Lion has a related form in Leon. Lion has a related form in Lyon. Lion has a related form in Lions.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Lion has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its English roots to each of them.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Lion
- Lion FeuchtwangerGerman writer (1884-1958)
- Lion SemićGerman association football playerborn 2003
- Lion PhilipsDutch tobacco merchant (1794–1866)
- Lion LauberbachGerman footballerborn 1998
- Lion Gardinerengineer1599–1663
- Lion KaakDutch footballerborn 1991
- Lion IzmailovRussian stand-up comic, writer and satiristborn 1940
- Lion van MindenDutch fencer (1880-1944)
- Lion Axwijkfootballerborn 1984
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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