How to say it
LEG · end
/ˈlɛdʒ.ənd/
Masculine
Legend
Story, famous person
What it means
English from the Latin legenda ('things to be read'), originally the lives of saints read aloud at meals in medieval monasteries. The modern sense of 'famous historical figure' developed in the 17th century. John Legend the singer is the dominant English-language anchor.
Legend comes from the Medieval Latin legenda ('things to be read,' the gerundive of legere 'to read'), originally the lives of saints read aloud at meals in medieval monasteries. The modern English sense of 'famous historical figure or story' developed in the 17th century. John Legend the singer (born John Stephens, 1978; All of Me, Glory; ten-time Grammy winner) chose the stage surname in his twenties and made it culturally available as a first name. As a US given name Legend is modern, basically post-2014 (after John Legend and Chrissy Teigen's son Miles raised the celebrity profile). It entered the US top 500 in 2018. Single short forms aren't common.
Popularity over time
peaked at #118 in 2021, currently #193 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pop culture
John Legend the singer is the dominant English-language anchor; he chose the stage surname in his twenties and the first-name use is downstream of his career.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- John Legend American singer-songwriter, ten-time Grammy winner, born John Stephens 1978
Spelling variants
- Legende
Names with the same feeling
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