Holding steady.
Popularity of Lemon since 1882
Babies named Lemon per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1927, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Lemon's real moment was 1902.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 0 | 39 |
| 1890s | 0 | 76 |
| 1900s | 0 | 82 |
| 1910s | 10 | 182 |
| 1920s | 6 | 228 |
| 1930s | 0 | 162 |
| 1940s | 0 | 119 |
| 1950s | 0 | 80 |
| 1960s | 0 | 60 |
| 1970s | 0 | 28 |
| 1980s | 0 | 5 |
| 1990s | 0 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0 | 0 |
| 2010s | 113 | 0 |
| 2020s | 230 | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Lemon is a rare given name first recorded in U.S. Social Security data in 1882, the earliest year in the dataset. Its usage peaked in 1902, when it appeared with modest frequency, and it has never ranked among the top 1000 names. In 2025, the name remains so uncommon that a precise 1-in-N ratio and rank are not calculable; the trajectory of usage has been stable and minimal over the decades. The name's history is a curious footnote in American naming trends, reflecting a brief period of fruit-inspired names in the early 20th century. Despite its scarcity, Lemon has a distinct, sunny charm and is occasionally revived by modern parents seeking unusual, nature-themed names.
Lemon first appeared as a given name in the United States in the 1880s. It may be a creative use of the fruit name, which entered English via Old French limon, from Arabic laymūn. Alternatively, it could be a diminutive or variant of the biblical name Lemuel, meaning 'devoted to God.' The name saw modest use in the early 1900s, peaking in 1902, before declining. It has never been common, fitting the category of rare fruit-inspired names.
Sibling names for Lemon
Names that share Lemon's style, for a brother or sister.
