Loreal
Feminine
There was a hair dye called Auréale. A French chemist mixed it in 1907, and when he founded a company two years later he named it after the product — which is how one of the largest cosmetics firms in the world came to be called L'Oréal. American parents began giving the word as a name in the 1970s, and there is a second and quieter reading available: Lora joined to Al.
How old is the name Loreal?
Loreal first appears in US birth records in 1970 — 55 years ago. The typical Loreal alive today was born around 1992, making them about 33 years old. About 1,700 people named Loreal are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Loreal most popular?
Loreal peaked in 1985, reaching #1588 nationally. Today it ranks #13208, 11,620 places below that high. See the whole 1985 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Loreal
Brand names have become given names before and will again — Chanel, Armani, Lexus and Cartier all appear in American birth records — and the reasoning is usually the same: the word sounds expensive and looks French. What makes this one interesting is that the brand was itself named after a made-up word for a product, so the name is three removes from anything that ever meant anything. That is not a criticism. It is simply the actual history, and it is more honest than an invented etymology.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The company name was built from Auréale, a coined trade name for a hair dye, which itself plays on the French for a halo or aureole. That is a commercial invention rather than a word with a history. The name may also be read as Lora plus Al, or as a respelling of Laurel — and for some American families it certainly is.
Pronouncing Loreal
LOR-ee-al
Three syllables, stress on the first. The French brand is said lor-ay-AL with the weight at the back; the American name has settled on the front.
Nicknames for Loreal
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
- 1970
- Most girls named
- 198983 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1588reached in 1985
- Change vs 2024
- −33.3%6 in 2025, 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.
Loreal in other languages
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas.
Loreals among us
people named Loreal are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 267,878 born in 2025 was named Loreal
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 Reginia test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Loreal's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Reginia climbed just as high around 1958, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Reginia's path sketches the road Loreal is walking now.
Loreal 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
Loreal beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Loreal in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Everyone can spell it and say it, since the brand is on shelves everywhere.
- Lori is available as a familiar short form and needs no explanation.
- Three syllables of soft consonants that sit well after almost any surname.
- It is a very large company's name, and the association arrives first and stays.
- The apostrophe belongs to the brand and cannot appear in a birth record, so the name is always the brand minus something.
- Loreal, Loriel and Laurel all sit close by and will be written instead.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Loreal
Feminine · #13208 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Loreals are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,700 people named Loreal are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Loreal in 2025?
- Loreal ranks #13208 among US girl names in 2025, with 6 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Loreal?
- About 1 in every 267,878 US girls born in 2025 was named Loreal — 6 in all.
- Will my child share the name Loreal with classmates?
- Loreal will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Loreal
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
John#13208 · Vinnie#13208 · Margery#13208 · Jossie#13208 · Tressa#13208 · Erie#13208 · Bernadine#13208 · Euna#13208
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Loreal? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Loreal and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Cast your vote
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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