UK boy's name
Lord
A masculine name denoting authority or supreme power.
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.
Lord is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Lord popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4270, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2010, with 8 births.
This profile covers 97 England and Wales registrations across 21 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, 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 50% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 96 living people in the UK are called Lord. 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
- • Lord ranked #4270 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2010, when 8 boys were registered as Lord.
- • About 96 living people in the UK are estimated to have Lord as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4270
2024
Births in 2024
4
Latest year
Peak year
2010
8 births
Estimated living
96
2026
Meaning
What does Lord mean?
The given name Lord is derived from the Old English word "hlaford", which means "bread keeper" or "loaf keeper". It originated as a title of respect and authority in Anglo-Saxon England, referring to someone who had dominion over a household or estate.
The name Lord has its roots in the 5th to 11th centuries AD, during the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain. It was initially used as a title for men of high social status, such as noblemen, landowners, and rulers. Over time, it became a common given name, particularly among the upper classes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lord appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a historical record of events in Anglo-Saxon England. The chronicle mentions several individuals with the name Lord, including Lord Ælfric, a prominent Anglo-Saxon abbot and scholar who lived from around 955 to 1010 AD.
Another notable historical figure with the name Lord was Lord Byron, the famous English Romantic poet born in 1788. His full name was George Gordon Byron, and he was also known as Lord Byron due to his aristocratic lineage. Lord Byron's poetry and personal life captured the imagination of the literary world during the early 19th century.
In the realm of religion, the name Lord holds significance as a title for God or a supreme being. The Bible, for instance, often refers to God as "the Lord" or "Lord God". This usage of the name Lord reflects its connotation of authority and sovereignty.
During the Middle Ages, the name Lord was commonly used by European nobility and aristocracy. One example is Lord Walter Fitzalan, who lived from around 1107 to 1176 and was a prominent Anglo-Norman nobleman and High Sheriff of Shropshire in England.
In more recent history, Lord Kitchener, born in 1850, was a British Field Marshal and statesman who played a significant role in the Boer War and World War I. His full name was Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, and he was widely known as Lord Kitchener.
Throughout its long history, the name Lord has carried a sense of power, authority, and leadership. While its usage as a given name has declined in modern times, it remains a testament to the rich cultural heritage and social structures of the past.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Lord over time
The chart below shows babies named Lord 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 Lord, the clearest high point is 2010. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2024, compared with 8 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lord by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Lord 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 | #3672 | 19 | 4 |
| 2010s | #3672 | 34 | 7 |
| 2000s | #3097 | 40 | 9 |
| 1990s | #2357 | 4 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Lord
- Luke 72,247
- Lewis 69,555
- Leo 63,249
- Liam 60,482
- Lucas 49,061
- Logan 40,771
- Louis 35,898
- Luca 30,323
- Louie 24,242
- Leon 22,308
- Levi 9,931
- Lee 7,861
FAQ
Lord: questions and answers
How popular is the name Lord in the UK right now?
In 2024, Lord was ranked #4270 for boys in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Lord most popular?
The peak year on record was 2010, with 8 babies registered as Lord in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Lord?
A masculine name denoting authority or supreme power.
How many people are called Lord in the UK?
A total of 97 babies have been registered as Lord across the 21 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
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.