Legend is an English word name that goes back to the Latin legenda, "things to be read", originally the lives of the saints read aloud in church, and today means a famous story or a famous person. Singer John Legend has given the name a modern, confident ring. Legend entered the US top 1000 in 2010, shot from number 391 in 2015 to a peak of number 118 in 2021 and has since settled at number 193 in 2025.