Lyra
Top 1000
About Lyra
Lyra is a name with ancient and celestial roots that's found new popularity thanks to its starring role in Philip Pullman's book series, His Dark Materials and its subsequent movie and TV adaptions. Simple yet starry, Lyra is familiar but not overused in the US, where it ranks in the Top 500.
Lyra is a constellation name taken from the lyre of Orpheus. It contains the star Vega and thus could make a melodic choice for a parent interested in music, astronomy, or mythology. It has more history than the similar, more wordy Lyric, and is more unusual in the US than the similar sounding Lyla, Leah, and Laura.
Given to nearly 640 American girls in a recent year, it is worth keeping in mind that it is considerably more popular in the UK where it entered the Top 100 back 2020. Additionally, while LIE-ruh is the most familiar pronunciation, LEE-ruh and LEER-uh are also used.
Borne by Lyra Belacqua, the heroine of the aforementioned His Dark Materials, Lyra has also been chosen by celeb couples Ed Sheeran and Cherry Seaborn, Anna Lundberg and Michael Sheen, and Sophie Dahl and Jamie Cullum.
Pronounced LY-ruh.
As of October 2026, Lyra ranked #435 in US births in 2025 SSA, Nameberry popularity #43.
Editor's take: The name Lyra is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "lyre".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #1,045 | 249 | 139.4 |
| 2015 | #977 | 276 | 154.6 |
| 2016 | #922 | 298 | 168.2 |
| 2017 | #724 | 396 | 229.4 |
| 2018 | #682 | 429 | 252.2 |
| 2019 | #673 | 431 | 256.8 |
| 2020 | #549 | 543 | 335.9 |
| 2021 | #489 | 643 | 391.9 |
| 2022 | #496 | 637 | 388.4 |
| 2023 | #482 | 638 | 397.6 |
| 2024 | #482 | 638 | 393.8 |
| 2025 | #435 | 711 | 442.4 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Lyra.
- Arwen
- Cassia
- Astrid
- Avalon
- Seraphina
- Calliope
- Freya
- Aurelia
- Lilith
- Adali
- Mira
- Celeste
- Rhea
- Dahlia
- Thalia
- Astra
- Athena
- Althea
- Ophelia
- Arielle
Lyra on lists
Famous Lyras
- Lyra Virna
Indonesian actress
- Lyra Veronica Esmeralda Taylor
OBE, New Zealand lawyer and social worker
- Lyrae van Clief
Stefanon, American poet
- Lyra Robinson (b. 2009)
daughter of Muppeteer Martin P. Robinson; twin of sister Ripley
- Lyra Cullum (b. 2011)
daughter of actress Sophie Dahl and singer Jamie Cullum
- Lyra Sheen (b. 2019)
daughter of actor Michael Sheen.
- Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran (b.2020)
daughter of Ed Sheeran and Cherry Seaborn.
Lyra in pop culture
- Lyra Belacqua
main character in His Dark Materials trilogy
- Lyra
character in anime Fullmetal Alchemist
- Lyra the Sunshard
a legendary priest card in the card game Hearthstone
- Lyra
a main character in video games Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver
- Lyra Heartstrings
background character in 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'
- Lyra Erso
character in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"
- Lyra
protagonist of Sirens Lament
- Lyra
hetaira and lover of the protagonist Simonides in Mary Renault's "The Praise Singer"