Laurence
Masculine · “of Laurentum”
Laurence is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 39,720 boys against 495 girls since 1880.
Laurence is a man of Laurentum, and Laurentum was named for its laurels — so the name reaches the victor's wreath by way of a town in Latium.
How old is the name Laurence?
Laurence was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Laurence alive today was born around 1945, making them about 80 years old. About 18,500 people named Laurence are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Laurence most popular?
Laurence peaked in 1898, reaching #201 nationally. Today it ranks #1743, 1,542 places below that high. See the whole 1898 chart.
Laurence appears on this list:
Where it comes from
From laurus to Laurence
The story of Laurence
Laurence became a major European name through a third-century Roman deacon martyred under Valerian — the one whose gridiron appears in a thousand paintings. Every language made its own form: Lorenzo, Lorenz, Laurent, Lars. English kept both Laurence and Lawrence, the first being the more classical spelling, and it peaked in American records around 1931.
Meaning
of Laurentum; laurel
From the Latin Laurentius, 'man of Laurentum'. The town's name is generally taken from laurus, 'laurel', so the name arrives at the tree by way of a place. The laurel wreath was the Roman symbol of victory, which is why the word survives in 'laureate'.
How the name formed
- laurus
- Laurentum
- Laurentius
- Laurence
Related forms: Lorenzo · Laurent · Lars · Lawrence
Pronouncing Laurence
LOR-uns
Two syllables, stress on the first. Laurence and Lawrence are said identically.
Nicknames for Laurence
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
- 1951822 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #201reached in 1898
- Change vs 2022
- +72.2%93 in 2025, from 54
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.
Laurence in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Lorenzo in Italian — related form
- Laurent in French — related form
- Lars in Swedish — related form
- Lawrence in English — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Texas.
Laurences among us
people named Laurence are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 18,366 born in 2025 was named Laurence
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
Laurence 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 Laurence is headed
Laurence 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.
Laurence beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Laurence in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A documented Roman martyr with one of the most recognizable iconographies in Christian art.
- Every European language has a cousin form, several of them very well known.
- Larry and Laurie are two short forms at very different registers.
- Lawrence is commoner in American records and the two are constantly confused.
- It is period-coded to the first half of the twentieth century.
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What they receive
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Laurence
Masculine · #1743 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Laurences are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 18,500 people named Laurence are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Laurence in 2025?
- Laurence ranks #1743 among US boy names in 2025, with 93 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Laurence?
- About 1 in every 18,366 US boys born in 2025 was named Laurence — 93 in all.
- Will my child share the name Laurence with classmates?
- Laurence will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Laurence
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Nate#1743 · Nyaire#1743 · Ender#1743 · Augustin#1743 · Deion#1743 · Jovan#1743 · Rain#1743 · Oskar#1743
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Laurence? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Laurence and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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