Lake
Feminine · “a body of still water”
Lake is given to both — 937 girls and 2,987 boys since 1880. See Lake as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Lake is the English word, and it arrived twice: Old English had lacu for a stream, and Norman French brought lac from Latin. The two merged and the modern sense won.
How old is the name Lake?
Lake first appears in US birth records in 1893 — 132 years ago. The typical Lake is a kid of about 9 — this name's wave is very recent. About 800 people named Lake are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Lake most popular?
Lake peaked in 1893, reaching #1437 nationally. Today it ranks #3577, 2,140 places below that high. See the whole 1893 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From lacu to Lake
The story of Lake
English had its own word and then borrowed a near-identical one, and the two ran together — which is why lake now means still water in England and, in some American place names, running water. As a surname Lake is English and locational, naming a family living by one. Its use as a given name is recent and belongs with River, Brook and Bay, and it is given to girls and boys alike.
Meaning
a body of still water
From Latin lacus through Old French lac, reinforcing an existing Old English lacu, which meant a watercourse or stream rather than a still body; the modern meaning settled in the Middle English period.
How the name formed
- lacu
- lac
- lake
Related forms: Lac · Lago
Pronouncing Lake
LAYK
One syllable. There is no variation in English.
Nicknames for Lake
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1893
- Most girls named
- 202059 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1437reached in 1893
- Change vs 2024
- +16.7%42 in 2025, from 36
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Lake in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Lac in French — related form
- Lago in Italian — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Texas.
Lakes among us
people named Lake are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 38,268 born in 2025 was named Lake
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Lake sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Lake is headed
Lake is easing off slowly — about 17% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Lake beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Lake in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- An ordinary English word, so nobody has to be taught to say or spell it.
- One syllable and four letters — as short as a name gets.
- A settled meaning with a genuinely interesting double borrowing behind it.
- It is used for both sexes, so forms may guess wrong.
- A one-syllable word-name gives no room for a nickname.
- Naming a child for a landscape feature invites questions about a particular place.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Lake to the vote.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Lake
Feminine · #3577 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Lakes are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Lake are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Lake in 2025?
- Lake ranks #3577 among US girl names in 2025, with 42 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Lake?
- About 1 in every 38,268 US girls born in 2025 was named Lake — 42 in all.
- Will my child share the name Lake with classmates?
- Lake will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Lake
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Delphine#3577 · Evelyne#3577 · Ellanor#3577 · Gwenevere#3577 · Lian#3577 · Katya#3577 · Kolby#3577 · Cherry#3577
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Lake? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Lake and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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