Loralei
Feminine · “murmuring rock”
Lorelei is a rock on the Rhine where the current is treacherous — and a poem invented the siren who sits on it.
How old is the name Loralei?
Loralei first appears in US birth records in 1940 — 85 years ago. The typical Loralei is a kid of about 12 — this name's wave is very recent. About 1,800 people named Loralei are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Loralei most popular?
Loralei peaked in 2011, reaching #1840 nationally. Today it ranks #2645, 805 places below that high. See the whole 2011 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From lureln ley to Loralei
The story of Loralei
The Lorelei is a slate rock at the narrowest point of the Rhine where boats were often wrecked, and its echo gave it the name. Brentano invented the siren in a poem of 1801 and Heine's version made her famous — a folk legend with a known author and date. Loralei is a modern spelling and is in current American use.
Meaning
murmuring rock
From the German Lorelei, generally read from a dialect lureln, 'to murmur', and ley, 'rock' — the rock where the river murmurs. Clemens Brentano invented the siren in 1801; there is no older legend. The etymology is documented and the invention datable.
How the name formed
- lureln ley
- Lorelei
- Loralei
Related forms: Lorelei · Lorelai
Pronouncing Loralei
LOR-uh-ly
Three syllables, stress on the first. German says LOH-ruh-ly.
Nicknames for Loralei
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
- 1940
- Most girls named
- 2011109 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1840reached in 2011
- Change vs 2024
- +14.0%65 in 2025, from 57
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.
Loralei in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Lorelei in German — spelling variant
- Lorelai in English — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, Ohio, Tennessee.
Loraleis among us
people named Loralei are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 24,727 born in 2025 was named Loralei
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Freedom test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Loralei's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Freedom climbed just as high around 1976, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Freedom's path sketches the road Loralei is walking now.
Loralei 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 Loralei is headed
Loralei 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.
Loralei beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Loralei in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That the 'folk legend' has a known author and a date is a first-rate fact.
- Lora and Lei are two short forms, both with real use.
- The murmuring-rock meaning is concrete and atmospheric.
- Lorelei is the standard spelling.
- The siren lures sailors to their deaths.
- At least three spellings of the sound are in circulation.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Loralei
Feminine · #2645 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Loraleis are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,800 people named Loralei are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Loralei in 2025?
- Loralei ranks #2645 among US girl names in 2025, with 65 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Loralei?
- About 1 in every 24,727 US girls born in 2025 was named Loralei — 65 in all.
- Will my child share the name Loralei with classmates?
- Loralei will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Loralei
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Caliana#2645 · Aaira#2645 · Wylie#2645 · Henrietta#2645 · Mahogany#2645 · Amaiah#2645 · Charlize#2645 · Esra#2645
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Loralei? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Loralei and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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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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