Means "from Lydia" in Greek, referring to the region of Lydia on the west coast of Asia Minor, said to be named in honour of the legendary king Lydos. The name is mentioned in the Christian New Testament as the name of a woman converted to Christianity by Saint Paul. Like many other Biblical names, this was adopted as an English given name following the Protestant Reformation. It peaked in popularity in the late 1990s and has been dropping since.