Lyle is a Scottish surname from the Norman French de l'isle, meaning "from the island". It was a modestly popular given name in the United States in the first half of the 20th century, and the children's book character Lyle the Crocodile kept it in circulation. After decades outside the rankings Lyle crept back into the top 1000 in 2016, peaked at number 928 in 2019 and stands at number 1047 in 2025.