UK boy's name
Byron
From the Greek name Βυρων meaning "wound, defective".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Byron is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Byron popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1758, with 14 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2000, with 202 births.
This profile covers 2,420 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 7% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 2,516 living people in the UK are called Byron. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Byron ranked #1758 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 14 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2000, when 202 boys were registered as Byron.
- • Byron ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #341 in 2006.
- • About 2,516 living people in the UK are estimated to have Byron as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1758
2024
Births in 2024
14
Latest year
Peak year
2000
202 births
Estimated living
2,516
2026
Meaning
What does Byron mean?
The name Byron is of English origin and is derived from the Old English words "byre" and "tun", which together mean "a village surrounded by dairy farms". This name was initially used to refer to a farm or settlement, and later evolved into a surname and eventually a given name.
The earliest recorded use of Byron as a surname dates back to the 11th century in the Domesday Book, a historic record compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. The name appeared as "Biretone" and "Biretun", referring to various locations in England.
One of the most famous historical figures bearing the name Byron was George Gordon Byron, the renowned English poet, peer, and leading figure of the Romantic movement. Born in 1788 and died in 1824, Byron's life and works had a significant impact on English literature and culture.
Another notable person with the name Byron was Lord Byron, a British naval officer and explorer who played a crucial role in the exploration of the Arctic and Antarctic regions in the 19th century. Lord Byron, born in 1786 and died in 1868, was also a prominent figure in the Royal Navy.
In the field of literature, Byron Khun de Prorok was a Dutch-American author and poet known for his works exploring themes of love, nature, and spirituality. He was born in 1878 and died in 1949.
In the realm of entertainment, Byron Haskin was an American film director and cinematographer who worked on several notable films, including "The War of the Worlds" (1953) and "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" (1964). He was born in 1899 and died in 1984.
Byron White was a notable American lawyer, professional football player, and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He served on the Supreme Court from 1962 to 1993 and was known for his pragmatic approach to legal issues. White was born in 1917 and died in 2002.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Byron over time
The chart below shows babies named Byron registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Byron, the clearest high point is 2000. The latest England and Wales figure is 14 births in 2024, compared with 202 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Byron by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Byron was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1200 | 128 | 5 |
| 2010s | #598 | 642 | 10 |
| 2000s | #284 | 1,318 | 10 |
| 1990s | #332 | 332 | 4 |
Geography
Where Byron is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Byron. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Byron ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #341 in 2006.
Across the UK
Byron in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#733 in 2017
22 years of NRS records, 108 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#341 in 2006
3 years of NISRA records, 10 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Byron
-
Byron Lawrence
association football player
English association football player (born 1996)
1996-
-
Byron Mullens
basketball player
American basketball player (born 1989)
1989-
-
Byron Moore
association football player
English association football player
1988-
-
Byron Webster
association football player
English association football player (born 1987)
1987-
-
Byron Harrison
association football player
Footballer (born 1987)
1987-
-
Byron Smith
rugby league player
English rugby league footballer
1984-
-
Byron Bubb
association football player
Footballer (born 1981)
1981-
-
Byron Glasgow
association football player
British footballer (born 1979)
1979-
Related
Names similar to Byron
- Benjamin 90,412
- Ben 36,356
- Bradley 30,230
- Brandon 26,411
- Billy 18,608
- Bobby 16,904
- Blake 16,337
- Bailey 16,014
- Brody 7,230
- Beau 6,722
- Barnaby 5,284
- Brodie 4,801
FAQ
Byron: questions and answers
How popular is the name Byron in the UK right now?
In 2024, Byron was ranked #1758 for boys in England and Wales, with 14 births registered.
When was Byron most popular?
The peak year on record was 2000, with 202 babies registered as Byron in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Byron?
From the Greek name Βυρων meaning "wound, defective".
How many people are called Byron in the UK?
A total of 2,420 babies have been registered as Byron across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 108 more in Scotland and 10 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Byron most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Byron ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #341 in 2006. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.