Lari
Feminine
Lari is given to both — 841 girls and 38 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Lari is a man's nickname with the ending swapped, and the swap is the whole of the difference — in the record the same three letters plus a y belong overwhelmingly to men and this version overwhelmingly to women.
How old is the name Lari?
Lari first appears in US birth records in 1942 — 83 years ago. The typical Lari alive today was born around 1965, making them about 60 years old. About 800 people named Lari are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Lari most popular?
Lari peaked in 1959, reaching #1720 nationally. See the whole 1959 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Lari
English sorts short names by their final letter and the sorting is almost invisible until it is pointed out. A y ending reads as a man's or a child's; an i ending reads as a woman's and as modern; an ie ending reads as a woman's and as older. None of this is a rule anybody was taught, and all of it is obeyed. The same three letters with three different tails go to three different places, and a parent choosing between them is making a decision about sex, era and formality at once, using a system that has never been written down anywhere.
Meaningnot established
Not established
It may be cut from Laurence, from Hilary, from Laura or from Clara, and the record holds it without a long form. The meanings of those four names have nothing in common, so no reading can be given.
Pronouncing Lari
LAR-ee
Two syllables, stress at the front. Identical to Larry and Laurie.
Nicknames for Lari
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
- 1942
- Most girls named
- 195941 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1720reached in 1959
- Change vs 2000
- −37.5%5 in 2006, from 8
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.
Laris among us
people named Lari 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
Lari 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 is short, warm and easy at any age.
- The spelling is simple and survives being dictated.
- It works for either child.
- Larry, Laurie and Lari are all said the same way and hers will be written as any of them.
- The spelling is recorded for a few boys, but nearly every child with it is a girl.
- No long form can be established, so there is no meaning to pass on.
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Lari
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Laris 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 Lari are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Lari in 2025?
- Lari is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Lari with classmates?
- Lari 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 Lari? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Lari and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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