Given name & surname
London
“from the captial of England”
London is used as a given name, a surname, and a nickname. One English interpretation is “from the captial of England.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the captial of England.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
From Latin Londinium, from Proto-Celtic *Londinyom (“place that floods”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1886. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
London through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 54,779
- 10,324 boys · 44,455 girls
- Most popular year
- 2013
- 3,879 babies
- 2025
- 863
- #431 for girls · #1,335 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −44%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 14% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 719 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 431 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 45.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 3,462 in 2013. It also appeared in 144 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (74). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 40,126 as a first name in 2020; 15,576 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.
London’s family of names
In English usage, London has a short form in BOJO. In English usage, London has a related form in LONDYNN. In French usage, London has a conventional equivalent in the Greek form Λόντον.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
London has relatives in 6 languages. Lines run from its English roots to each of them.
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 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named London
- London BreedAmerican politician (born 1974); Mayor of San Francisco from 2018 to 2025
- London on da TrackAmerican record producer (born 1991)
- London PerrantesAmerican basketball player (born 1994)
- London FletcherAmerican football playerborn 1975
- London WoodberryAmerican soccer playerborn 1991
- London ThorKorean-American actressborn 1997
- London LeGrandAmerican musicianborn 1974
Characters named London: London Tipton (Disney's Suite Life franchise).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love London, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Savannah
“from the open, grassy plain”
>99% girls
Bella
“a woman famed for her beauty”
>99% girls
Dixie
“woman from the South; the tenth-born child”
>99% girls
Carolina
“a joyous song; a small, strong woman”
>99% girls
Madison
“daughter'of a mighty warrior” · “son of a mighty warrior”
1% boys · 99% girls
Ainsley
“one's own meadow”
1% boys · 99% girls
Kansas
Kansas is used as a given name and a surname. One Native American interpretation is “of the south wind people; from the state of Kansas.”
18% boys · 82% girls
Daisy
“of the day's eye; resembling a flower”
>99% girls