National Byron Day – May 2, 2024

History of National Byron Day

The inaugural celebration of National Byron Day is to happen in 2023. Despite its recent beginning, the day will doubtless be highly anticipated as many around the globe relate to the name. It will also be informative and fun to learn about their namesakes and how common, popular, and maybe, even hated their name is. The name Byron has been adopted by notable English nobles and countrymen alike. According to a one-time survey of over 100 people, it is considered classic, natural, nerdy, mature, and, of course, upper class. In 2011, it was the 407th most popular name in the U.K. In the U.S., it was the 287th most popular in 1991, but by 2021, it had dropped to 751th.

The famous romantic poet, George Gordon Byron, known simply as Lord Byron, was well-known as the sixth Baron Byron not only in England but also outside his country. In 2008, the Greek government created Byron Day to be celebrated every April 19 in his honor. He was the author of the two notable and lengthy poems “Don Juan” and ‘”Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage,” with 555 and 128 pages, respectively. Even though Friedrich Nietzsche was fascinated with the writer, Byron was a contentious figure due to his bisexuality, and sexual immorality after an amorous relationship with his half-sister, with whom he sired a child. His grandfather was Vice-Admiral John Byron, who circumnavigated the world in the 1700s.

Thanks to the famous 20th-century actor, James Byron Dean, who starred in the movie “Rebel Without A Cause,” the name became popularized in America. As did the multi-instrumentalist, Don Byron. Other notable figures named Byron include the current Tennessee governor, William Byron Lee, American artist Judy Byron, the priest of America’s Society of Jesus, Rev. William J. Byron, and many others.