# Lyra (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/lyra/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Greek |
| Meaning | “a lyre”, “the constellation lyra” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈlaɪ.ɹə/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 8,095 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 0 / 8,095 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 6,467, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Borrowed from Latin Lyra/lyra, from Ancient Greek λύρα (lúra, “a lyre; the constellation Lyra”). Doublet of lira, lyra, and lyre.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 243 | 1,027 |
| 2012 | 247 | 1,028 |
| 2013 | 250 | 1,002 |
| 2014 | 249 | 1,046 |
| 2015 | 276 | 978 |
| 2016 | 298 | 922 |
| 2017 | 396 | 724 |
| 2018 | 429 | 682 |
| 2019 | 431 | 673 |
| 2020 | 543 | 550 |
| 2021 | 643 | 489 |
| 2022 | 637 | 496 |
| 2023 | 639 | 482 |
| 2024 | 642 | 482 |
| 2025 | 711 | 435 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 147 | 327 |
| 2012 | 192 | 255 |
| 2013 | 236 | 218 |
| 2014 | 261 | 205 |
| 2015 | 235 | 222 |
| 2016 | 248 | 212 |
| 2017 | 293 | 183 |
| 2018 | 362 | 142 |
| 2019 | 342 | 150 |
| 2020 | 559 | 92 |
| 2021 | 630 | 80 |
| 2022 | 641 | 78 |
| 2023 | 593 | 80 |
| 2024 | 573 | 83 |
| 2025 | 643 | 70 |

## People named Lyra

- Vivien Lyra Blair, American actress

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.