Lyle

It’s unclear what prompted usage of Lyle as a given name (from a surname), but such naming practices were already in full swing by the 19th century (i.e., using last names as first names). Lyle has been around long enough now that it feels more like a first name than a last name. In terms of popularity, Lyle’s best years were the 19-teens through the 1930s.  In fact, he got as high as position #145 on the boy’s naming charts in 1918. As we progressed into mid-century, though, Lyle had already started his quiet decline in popularity. By 1996, Lyle pretty much fell off the American radar when he fell off the Top 1000 list for the first time in over 100 years. Only about 150 baby boys are given the name Lyle annually now as we’ve entered the 21st century (and that’s out of nearly two million baby boys born per year). No longer very common, Lyle is perhaps a better alternative to the more overused Kyle (for parents seeking uniqueness) – Lyle has that same sort of “cool kid” quality to him that we can’t quite put our finger on. Perhaps he’s just an “island” unto himself.