boys' name ★ peaked 1989

Lamar

Meaning the pool Gender Boy · 4% girls Rank 2025 #1,517 Trend ↓ Falling 33%

From a placename in Normandy, which was derived from Old French la mare (“the pool”).

Rank 2025
#1,517
among boys · ↓21 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
134
named Lamar · -3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 14,853
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1989
748 babies
All-time total
35,251
#629 all-time among boys
First recorded
1882
in Social Security records

Lamar popularity over time

35,251 babies have been named Lamar since 1882, 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
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 33 33 3 – #513
1890s – 94 94 9 +185% #538
1900s – 163 163 16 +73% #412
1910s 41 1,071 1,112 111 +582% #435
1920s 58 2,125 2,183 218 +96% #387
1930s 43 2,193 2,236 224 +2% #345
1940s 53 2,360 2,413 241 +8% #390
1950s 90 2,764 2,854 285 +18% #406
1960s 120 2,606 2,726 273 -4% #438
1970s 123 4,137 4,260 426 +56% #325
1980s 108 6,064 6,172 617 +45% #314
1990s 17 3,944 3,961 396 -36% #350
2000s 91 2,900 2,991 299 -24% #638
2010s 428 2,668 3,096 310 +4% #702
2020s (to 2025) 112 845 957 160 -48% #1,090

Where Lamar 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 108 0.06 outside top 500
2027 102 0.06 outside top 500
2028 97 0.06 outside top 500
2029 93 0.05 outside top 500
2030 90 0.05 outside top 500

Where Lamar is most popular

Boys named Lamar per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.077 per 1,000. Strongest in Michigan, Pennsylvania, 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 Lamar 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
Michigan 43 0.210 +174%
Pennsylvania 49 0.185 +140%
Ohio 45 0.170 +121%
Indiana 26 0.162 +111%
Georgia 30 0.118 +54%
Florida 47 0.099 +29%
Illinois 24 0.094 +22%
New York 35 0.081 +5%
Texas 46 0.052 -32%
Kentucky 5 0.050 -35%
North Carolina 9 0.035 -54%
California 32 0.035 -54%
New Jersey 6 0.030 -61%
Virginia 5 0.026 -66%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
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 Lamar

Lamar is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,517 in 2025 with 115 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1882, 35,251 American babies have been named Lamar. Its peak came in 1989, when 748 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

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 Lamar stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Lamar?

The median living Lamar is about 39 years old; half are between 24 and 54. An estimated 27 thousand people named Lamar are alive in the United States today.

median 39 020406080100

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

Lamar 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 19 #6,235 115 #1,517
2024 18 #6,542 120 #1,496
2023 19 #6,300 136 #1,374
2022 20 #6,118 144 #1,312
2021 18 #6,554 148 #1,284
2020 18 #6,511 182 #1,090
2019 27 #4,982 194 #1,056
2018 35 #4,117 201 #1,025
2017 52 #3,118 234 #915
2016 59 #2,887 230 #926
2015 60 #2,912 277 #818
2014 51 #3,209 268 #843
2013 49 #3,295 327 #717
2012 29 #4,911 289 #785
2011 38 #3,970 315 #723
2010 28 #5,037 333 #702
2009 31 #4,751 293 #778
2008 25 #5,664 308 #740
2007 17 #7,598 339 #695
2006 13 #9,035 340 #671
2005 – – 303 #686
2004 5 #17,607 263 #725
2003 – – 238 #752
2002 – – 242 #730
2001 – – 288 #649
2000 – – 286 #638
1995 – – 306 #585
1990 10 #8,223 689 #350
1985 10 #6,720 535 #348
1980 11 #6,122 611 #314
1975 16 #4,037 322 #444
1970 9 #5,610 400 #407
1965 10 #4,350 239 #494
1960 12 #3,812 267 #486
1955 10 #3,925 282 #440
1950 11 #3,324 276 #406
1945 – – 198 #425
1940 – – 212 #393
1935 – – 216 #368
1930 – – 228 #376
1925 8 #3,867 237 #389
1920 6 #4,673 183 #447
1915 7 #3,623 125 #494
1910 – – 34 #476
1905 – – 15 #626
1900 – – 16 #639
1895 – – 10 #725
1890 – – 5 #1,087
1885 – – 14 #513
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Lamar

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

  1. 1 Lamar Odom Lamar Odom American basketball player (born 1979) Contemporary
  2. 2 Lamar Alexander Lamar Alexander American politician (born 1940) Contemporary
  3. 3 Lamar Smith Lamar Smith American politician (born 1947) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Lamar?

The median living Lamar is about 39 years old. Half of all living Lamars are between 24 and 54 years old.

How many people named Lamar are alive today?

An estimated 27 thousand people named Lamar are alive in the United States, based on 35,251 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Lamar mean?

From a placename in Normandy, which was derived from Old French la mare (“the pool”).

How popular is the name Lamar in 2025?

Lamar ranked #1,517 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 115 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Lamar?

35,251 babies have been named Lamar in the United States since 1882, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Lamar most popular?

Lamar peaked in 1989, when 748 newborns received the name.

Is Lamar a boy or girl name?

Lamar is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 96% of babies with the name.

Is the name Lamar rising or falling?

Lamar is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Lamar become more popular?

Lamar is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 90 boys named Lamar 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 Lamar?

Well-known people named Lamar include Lamar Odom (basketball player), Lamar Alexander (politician), Lamar Smith (politician).

Names like Lamar

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

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