Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2022

Lake

Gender Unisex · 24% girls Rank 2025 #2,068 Trend ↑ Rising 19%
Rank 2025
#2,068
among boys · ↓441 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
114
named Lake · -19% vs 2024
How common
1 in 23,723
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2022
154 babies
All-time total
3,924
#2,547 all-time among boys
First recorded
1891
in Social Security records

Lake popularity over time

3,924 babies have been named Lake since 1891, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.020.040.060.0818801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s 15 16 31 3 – #1,025
1900s 16 – 16 2 -48% –
1910s 53 111 164 16 +925% #1,473
1920s 39 149 188 19 +15% #1,366
1930s – 91 91 9 -52% #2,011
1940s 5 72 77 8 -15% #2,213
1950s – 60 60 6 -22% #2,159
1960s – 38 38 4 -37% #3,401
1970s – 64 64 6 +68% #2,743
1980s – 96 96 10 +50% #3,280
1990s 41 509 550 55 +473% #1,285
2000s 92 629 721 72 +31% #1,840
2010s 378 620 998 100 +38% #1,843
2020s (to 2025) 298 532 830 138 +39% #1,627

Where Lake is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 74 0.04 outside top 500
2027 76 0.04 outside top 500
2028 77 0.05 outside top 500
2029 78 0.05 outside top 500
2030 80 0.05 outside top 500

Where Lake is most popular

Boys named Lake per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.052 per 1,000. Strongest in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Ohio.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Lake born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Tennessee 24 0.133 +154%
Mississippi 5 0.088 +68%
Ohio 13 0.049 -6%
Louisiana 5 0.049 -7%
Texas 37 0.042 -20%
Minnesota 5 0.041 -22%
Washington 6 0.037 -30%
Missouri 5 0.036 -31%
Michigan 7 0.034 -35%
Georgia 7 0.028 -47%
Florida 12 0.025 -52%
California 12 0.013 -75%
New York 5 0.012 -78%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Lake

Lake is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,068 in 2025 with 72 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1891, 3,924 American babies have been named Lake, about 76% boys and 24% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2022, when 154 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Lake stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Lake?

The median living Lake is about 14 years old; half are between 6 and 25. An estimated 3,300 people named Lake are alive in the United States today.

median 14 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Lake year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 42 #3,619 72 #2,068
2024 36 #4,083 105 #1,627
2023 49 #3,303 89 #1,815
2022 55 #3,014 99 #1,713
2021 57 #2,945 88 #1,798
2020 59 #2,804 79 #1,883
2019 58 #2,874 82 #1,843
2018 50 #3,227 69 #2,074
2017 49 #3,278 74 #1,949
2016 44 #3,558 63 #2,181
2015 49 #3,326 65 #2,143
2014 40 #3,817 52 #2,448
2013 37 #4,050 45 #2,647
2012 22 #6,021 53 #2,405
2011 13 #8,934 52 #2,426
2010 16 #7,738 65 #2,086
2009 19 #6,956 77 #1,878
2008 10 #11,257 67 #2,081
2007 16 #7,930 67 #2,061
2006 10 #11,071 73 #1,867
2005 9 #11,421 66 #1,934
2004 – – 51 #2,270
2003 7 #13,214 61 #1,923
2002 9 #10,703 62 #1,840
2001 6 #14,531 50 #2,103
2000 6 #14,149 55 #1,908
1995 6 #12,611 81 #1,308
1990 – – 22 #2,919
1985 – – 14 #3,317
1980 – – 8 #4,756
1975 – – 7 #4,584
1970 – – – –
1965 – – 7 #3,416
1960 – – 7 #3,511
1955 – – – –
1950 – – 13 #2,159
1945 – – 8 #2,659
1940 – – 11 #2,251
1935 – – 11 #2,331
1930 – – 15 #2,018
1925 – – 12 #2,516
1920 5 #5,372 29 #1,366
1915 8 #3,283 12 #2,246
1910 – – 5 #1,732
1905 5 #2,086 – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Lake

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Lake Bell Lake Bell American actress (born 1979) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Lake, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Lake?

The median living Lake is about 14 years old. Half of all living Lakes are between 6 and 25 years old.

How many people named Lake are alive today?

An estimated 3,300 people named Lake are alive in the United States, based on 3,924 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Lake in 2025?

Lake ranked #2,068 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 72 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Lake?

3,924 babies have been named Lake in the United States since 1891, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Lake most popular?

Lake peaked in 2022, when 154 newborns received the name.

Is Lake a boy or girl name?

Lake is used for both: about 24% of babies named Lake have been girls and 76% boys.

Is the name Lake rising or falling?

Lake is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Lake become more popular?

Lake is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 80 boys named Lake in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Lake?

Well-known people named Lake include Lake Bell (actor).

Names like Lake

Names that sound and feel close to Lake: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Lake with similar names → More names starting with L →