Head to head · Boys' names
Lawrence vs Truett
#518 vs #518 in 2025
Lawrence and Truett share the same spot on the 2025 charts (#518). The records cannot split them; sound and story will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Lawrence leads 3 measures of 6; Truett leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Lawrence #62, Truett — — Lawrence higher
- 1890s: Lawrence #45, Truett — — Lawrence higher
- 1900s: Lawrence #37, Truett — — Lawrence higher
- 1910s: Lawrence #37, Truett #2044 — Lawrence higher
- 1920s: Lawrence #37, Truett #1714 — Lawrence higher
- 1930s: Lawrence #36, Truett #2293 — Lawrence higher
- 1940s: Lawrence #32, Truett #2071 — Lawrence higher
- 1950s: Lawrence #42, Truett #2757 — Lawrence higher
- 1960s: Lawrence #67, Truett #3393 — Lawrence higher
- 1970s: Lawrence #105, Truett #4419 — Lawrence higher
- 1980s: Lawrence #142, Truett #5710 — Lawrence higher
- 1990s: Lawrence #236, Truett #5775 — Lawrence higher
- 2000s: Lawrence #377, Truett #3778 — Lawrence higher
- 2010s: Lawrence #481, Truett #1550 — Lawrence higher
- 2020s: Lawrence #546, Truett #745 — Lawrence higher
Lawrence stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Lawrence | Truett |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #62 | — |
| 1890s | #45 | — |
| 1900s | #37 | — |
| 1910s | #37 | #2044 |
| 1920s | #37 | #1714 |
| 1930s | #36 | #2293 |
| 1940s | #32 | #2071 |
| 1950s | #42 | #2757 |
| 1960s | #67 | #3393 |
| 1970s | #105 | #4419 |
| 1980s | #142 | #5710 |
| 1990s | #236 | #5775 |
| 2000s | #377 | #3778 |
| 2010s | #481 | #1550 |
| 2020s | #546 | #745 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Lawrence
from Laurentum
Latin Laurentius, a man of Laurentum, a town in Latium. Roman writers connected the town's name with the laurel, so the tree is at one remove rather than in the name directly. The English spelling with a w is a medieval respelling of the same word.
Laurentum → Laurentius → Laurence → Lawrence
How it traveled
Lawrence was a deacon of Rome, responsible for its treasury and its poor, and was executed in 258 during a persecution that killed the pope four days earlier. The story that survives has him asked to produce the wealth of the church, gathering the poor and the sick, and presenting them.
Truett
most often read as "faithful, loyal"
The common reading connects the surname Truett (and its twin Truitt) to Old English trēowe, "trusty, faithful," through the Middle English byname Trewe with a diminutive ending. A competing account treats it as a Norman-derived surname whose root word is no longer recoverable. Both are taken seriously; neither has closed the case.
Trēowe (Old English "faithful") → Trewe (Middle English byname) → Truitt / Truett (English surname) → Truett (given name)
How it traveled
Truett traveled to American first names the way Preston and Cooper did — as an inherited surname promoted to the front of the name. Its route is unusually traceable: George W.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Lawrence
LOR-unce
Two syllables, stress on the first. French Laurent has the weight at the end and a nasal ending; Italian Lorenzo has three syllables with the stress in the middle. All are the same name.
- Larry — The default American clip; plain, adult and used at work.
- Laurie — The older English form, used for either child.
- Ren — Taken from the middle; a modern clip and a name in its own right.
- Lars — The Scandinavian form of the same name, given alone there.
Truett
TROO-it
Two syllables, stress on the first; the ending is light, close to "do it" said quickly. Some families say TROO-ett with a fuller second syllable, and both pass unremarked.
- True — The most natural short form, and a given name in its own right in current American use.
- Tru — Informal spelling of the same short form, mostly written rather than spoken differently.
- T — Family and teammate shorthand, as with most names starting on a single strong consonant.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Lawrence if you want…
- a name holding steadyLawrence is holding its place on the charts
- a name with more sound in itLawrence runs 2 syllables, Truett 1
- a long American recordLawrence was already in use when US records began in 1880
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 12% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 56% for Truett
Choose Truett if you want…
- a name on the way upup 439 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesTruett is 1 syllable to Lawrence's 2
- a newer arrivalTruett entered the US charts in 1912
- a name that feels very nowTruett is climbing the charts fast
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Lawrence
Strengths
- A documented third-century bearer with a feast day and a very large geographical footprint.
- Four short forms of different registers, one of which serves either child.
- Recognizable in Italian, French, Spanish, Swedish and Polish, though the spellings diverge.
To consider
- Larry is what most people will settle on, so it is worth liking the short form.
- Laurence with a u is the older English spelling and both are in use.
- It is strongly represented among older generations, which gives it a period sound for some listeners.
Truett
Strengths
- Short and self-evident once heard: two syllables, no silent letters, no vowel a stranger has to guess at.
- Comes with a ready short form, True, which already stands alone as a given name.
- A genuine surname with a long paper trail in English records, so it is inherited rather than invented.
To consider
- Truett and Truitt are both real spellings, and forms will come back with the wrong one. A short spoken correction — "Truett with an E" — handles most of it, for life.
- In the South especially, the name carries a Baptist-preacher and Chick-fil-A association that some families are choosing on purpose and others will simply be asked about.
- It is climbing, not resting. A child named Truett now is very unlikely to share a classroom with another, but the name will probably be more familiar by the time they finish school than it is today.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Lawrence
12%chance Lawrence feels dated by 2040
Lawrence has held the top-100 across 9 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
Truett
56%chance Truett feels dated by 2040
Truett is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Lawrence and Truett in full.
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Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
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Put both to the vote.
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Classics hiding in plain sight
- Greatest Generation names (born 1901–1927)
- Silent Generation names (born 1928–1945)
- Baby Boomer names (born 1946–1964)
- all guides
Where Lawrence and Truett each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Lawrence or Truett — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Lawrence or Truett?
- They tie in 2025: Lawrence ranked #518 with 578 babies; Truett ranked #518 with 578 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Lawrence or Truett?
- Truett. Over the last five years Lawrence moved up 44 places; Truett moved up 439 places.
- Which is the older name, Lawrence or Truett?
- Lawrence was already in use when US records began in 1880; Truett entered the US charts in 1912. On the American record, Lawrence is the older name.
- How many people are named Lawrence and Truett?
- About 230,000 people named Lawrence are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 3,900 people named Truett are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Lawrences or Truetts in the classroom?
- Lawrence will almost certainly be the only one in school. Truett will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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