Larkin
Masculine · “little Laurence”
Larkin is given to both — 2,521 boys and 2,019 girls since 1880. See Larkin as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Larkin has two ancestries that meet in one spelling: a medieval English pet form of Laurence, and an Irish surname built on a word for fierceness. Both are well documented.
How old is the name Larkin?
Larkin was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Larkin alive today was born around 1972, making them about 53 years old. About 1,600 people named Larkin are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Larkin most popular?
Larkin peaked in 1880, reaching #442 nationally. Today it ranks #3379, 2,937 places below that high. See the whole 1880 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Laurence to Larkin
The story of Larkin
Medieval England made pet names by adding -kin — Wilkin, Perkin, Larkin — and each of those hardened into a surname. Independently, Ó Lorcáin was one of the Irish families anglicized as Larkin when their names were written in English, and Lorcán was a name of Irish kings. The surname reached America from both directions, and it was in real given-name use in the nineteenth century, particularly in the South.
Meaningscholars disagree
little Laurence, or fierce
The English Larkin is Lawrence clipped to Lar and given the -kin ending medieval English used for pet names; Laurence itself is from Laurentum, a town in Italy. The Irish Ó Lorcáin is built on Lorcán, generally read as fierce or, in another account, silent.
How the name formed
- Laurence
- Lar
- Larkin
Related forms: Ó Lorcáin · Laurence
Pronouncing Larkin
LAR-kin
Two syllables, first stressed. There is no variation.
Nicknames for Larkin
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
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 201964 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #442reached in 1880
- Change vs 2022
- −12.8%34 in 2025, from 39
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.
Larkin in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ó Lorcáin in Irish — related form
- Laurence in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Ohio, Michigan, Texas.
Larkins among us
people named Larkin are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 50,238 born in 2025 was named Larkin
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
Larkin 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 Larkin is headed
Larkin should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
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.
Larkin beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Larkin in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Two documented ancestries, English and Irish, both real and both old.
- Lark is a short form with a pleasant image behind it.
- Genuine nineteenth-century American use, so it is a revival rather than an invention.
- It reads as a surname to people meeting it in front of another one.
- A twentieth-century English poet of the surname is the first association for some readers.
- Lark is increasingly used as a girls' name, which occasionally causes confusion.
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What they receive
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Larkin
Masculine · #3379 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Larkins are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,600 people named Larkin are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Larkin in 2025?
- Larkin ranks #3379 among US boy names in 2025, with 34 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Larkin?
- About 1 in every 50,238 US boys born in 2025 was named Larkin — 34 in all.
- Will my child share the name Larkin with classmates?
- Larkin will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Larkin
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Art#3379 · Sampson#3379 · Kiernan#3379 · Benyamin#3379 · Quamir#3379 · Madhav#3379 · Tuff#3379 · Hubert#3379
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Larkin? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Larkin and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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