Meaning & Origin
A Scottish habitational surname from Old French from Old French l'isle (“the island”).
Lyle is a boy's and girl's baby name of Old French origin, from the Old French l'isle meaning "the island" — a topographic surname for someone who lived on or near an island. It has a clean, one-syllable confidence that has served it well for over a century.
With nearly 59,000 U.S. births recorded, Lyle has been one of the more enduring short Scottish-French names in American use. Country singer Lyle Lovett helped keep the name in cultural circulation from the 1980s onward, and its crisp, friendly sound has kept it in steady use.