| Legend | Kingston | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | a legend; a renowned story or person | king's town |
| Origin | english | english |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | LEJ-end | KING-stun |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1993 | 1919 |
| Peak year | 2021 (3,186) | 2021 (3,410) |
| In 2025 | 1,862 | 1,725 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Legend | Kingston |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 15,594 | 15,867 |
| 2010s | 9,278 | 25,651 |
| 2000s | 787 | 4,528 |
| 1990s | 146 | 190 |
| 1980s | 0 | 61 |
| 1970s | 0 | 28 |
| 1960s | 0 | 7 |
| 1950s | 0 | 19 |
| 1940s | 0 | 31 |
| 1930s | 0 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0 | 9 |
| 1910s | 0 | 5 |
A modern word-name taken straight from the English word 'legend' (ultimately from Latin 'legenda', 'things to be read'). It is an aspirational virtue/word name with no older history as a personal name.
An English place name and surname meaning 'king's town' or 'king's settlement' (Old English 'cyning' + 'tun'). A place-name origin referencing a king rather than meaning 'king' outright.
Legend is more popular than Kingston today: about 1,862 US babies were given the name Legend in 2025, compared with 1,725 named Kingston.
Legend means a legend; a renowned story or person (english origin), while Kingston means king's town (english origin).
In US records, Legend first appears in 1993 and Kingston in 1919, so Kingston has the longer recorded history.