The baby name Lando brings to mind an iconic Star Wars character, but it also claims roots in the Middle Ages.
Thanks to Silent One for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
THE MEANING of LANDO
Way back in the early 900s, Pope Lando served in Rome. Lando – also known as Landus – was in office for less than a year. His origins and accomplishments are obscure. But it leaves no doubt that the name was in use in the early medieval era.
The Italian principality of Capua was ruled by a family who favored the name. There’s more than one Count Lando across the years, beginning in the ninth century.
In fact, lots of names including the element land, lant, or another variant are found. It means land, from Saxon and other Germanic languages.
Plenty of these names are lost to time. When did you last meet a Landulf?
But short form Lance survives, and Arthurian legend preserved Lancelot, too.
Surnames like Lande, Landes, LaLande and others also preserve the word.
The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources lists several related given names, including Lanto.
LANDO CALRISSIAN
Despite a long history behind the baby name Lando, it was all-but forgotten until George Lucas came along.
In the Star Wars universe, Lucas gave the world Lando Calrissian, fair-weather friend to Han Solo and administrator of Cloud City on the planet Bespin.
Hardcore fans know that his full name is Landonis Balthazar Calrissian. Oh – and he’s the III and a Baron. But that piece of the story wasn’t added until The Rise of Skywalker in 2019.
Billy Dee Williams played the role in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and then returned into the sequel trilogy. Donald Glover played a younger version of Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
The character is a gambler and an opportunist. He’s terribly handsome and rather elegant, especially compared to Han’s rough and tumble persona.
The name was spelled Landau in some early materials. A landau was a type of horse-drawn carriage, but once again, Landau’s first syllable is the familiar land.
Calrissian ultimately ends up a good guy, joining the Rebel Alliance. And he shows up to save the day in the 2019 movie, too.
HOW POPULAR IS LANDO?
The baby name Lando had history long before pop culture gave the name a boost. But was it ever popular?
Not really. It debuted in the US data in the year 1911, with five boys named Lando.
It continued to be used in small numbers.
In 1980, the year The Empire Strikes Back gave the name a wider audience, 25 boys were named Lando – a new high.
In fact, that number held until 2020.
2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story didn’t move the needle. Late 2019 saw Lando’s triumphant return in The Rise of Skywalker. And in 2020, another 25 boys received the name.
By 2021, there were 56 boys given the name Lando. It peaked a year later, with 73 births in 2022.
As of 2023, 64 boys were named Lando.
LANDON, LEO, LORENZO
The baby name Lando seems like the name that got away.
Top 100 Landon is quite similar. We’re wild for O-ending Italian names, like Leonardo and Lorenzo. If Leo can rank in the US Top 100, why not Lando?
Also worth noting: names like Kylo and Anakin, equally associated with the Star Wars universe, have become mainstream choices for our sons.
OVERLOOKED GEM
Overall, the baby name Lando feels rich with potential.
It’s undeniably a find from the Middle Ages, a romance language name with an appealing sound. And it’s forever tied to the space age series that has dominated pop culture for fifty years.
Smooth, stylish, and rare, Lando could wear well.
What do you think of the baby name Lando?
First published on July 14, 2015, this post was revised on July 24, 2024.
Lando is also the name of the famous Louis L’Amour character in the book titled “Lando” which gives it a very macho, western vibe. My sister named one of her boys Nicolas Orlando, but when we all heard it we immediately started calling him Lando (big L’Amour fans). The next baby she mentally shrugged, went all in, and named her boy Jubal. Jubal is pretty much the quintessential Louis L’Amour character and name. Now her boys get lots of, “Don’t mess with Lando or Jubal–they’re Sacketts.” That pretty much makes the whole family happy. Including my dad who offered me all of his inheritance (as a joke) if I’d name my baby Echo to add another Sackett to his “collection.” I didn’t go for it. 🙂 In all, our family has 4 Louis L’Amour names amongst the grandkids.
I think that it could totally work. Star Wars seems to like “L” names, too. Luke, Leia, Lando.
Good point about the love for L names in the Star Wars universe. Of course, George Lucas …