Laren
Feminine · “laurel”
Laren is given to both — 551 girls and 370 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Laren is a two-syllable name that reaches girls through Lauren and boys through Loren. It is also the name of a village in the Netherlands where painters once gathered to paint the light.
How old is the name Laren?
Laren first appears in US birth records in 1946 — 79 years ago. The typical Laren alive today was born around 1988, making them about 37 years old. About 500 people named Laren are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Laren most popular?
Laren peaked in 1985, reaching #3170 nationally. See the whole 1985 chart.
Where it comes from
From Laurentius to Laren
The story of Laren
In the Netherlands, the village of Laren in the heath country east of Amsterdam drew painters in the late nineteenth century, among them Anton Mauve, and the Laren School painted its farmhouses, weavers and shepherds in soft, silvery light. In America, Laren came instead from Lauren and Loren, spellings of the Laurence family, and it went to girls from the first and boys from the second. It leans to girls without settling there.
Meaningscholars disagree
laurel, through Lauren or Loren
Laren is most likely a spelling of Lauren or Loren, both from Laurence, a man from Laurentum, a town named for its laurels. The Dutch village is a separate name.
How the name formed
- Laurentius
- Lauren / Loren
- Laren
Related forms: Lauren · Loren
Pronouncing Laren
LAIR-un
Stress on the first syllable. Some say LAR-un.
Nicknames for Laren
Limited
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
- 1946
- Most girls named
- 198528 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3170reached in 1985
- Change vs 2020
- −33.3%6 in 2024, from 9
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.
Laren in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Lauren in English — spelling variant
- Loren in English — spelling variant
Larens among us
people named Laren are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Laren sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It sounds like familiar names.
- It works for a girl or a boy.
- It carries a quiet artistic echo.
- People will write Lauren or Loren.
- It leans to girls in the record; a boy named Laren may be taken for a girl on paper.
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What they receive
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Laren
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Larens are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Laren are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Laren in 2025?
- Laren is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Laren with classmates?
- Laren will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More L names
The most-given names starting with L, all years combined.
Linda#902 · Lisa#987 · Laura#379 · Lauren#401 · Lillian#57 · Lori#1721 · Louise#514 · Lois#1666
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Laren? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Laren and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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