boys' name ★ peaked 1970

Lance

Meaning Lance is a given name Gender Boy Rank 2025 #862 Trend ↓ Falling 18%

Lance is a given name. Notable people with the name include:

Rank 2025
#862
among boys · ↓22 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
279
named Lance · -4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,122
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1970
4,173 babies
All-time total
106,184
#302 all-time among boys
First recorded
1899
in Social Security records

Lance popularity over time

106,184 babies have been named Lance since 1899, 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
0.631.251.882.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 5 5 1 – #1,141
1900s – 61 61 6 +1120% #894
1910s – 184 184 18 +202% #1,177
1920s – 302 302 30 +64% #1,132
1930s – 868 868 87 +187% #322
1940s – 4,184 4,184 418 +382% #263
1950s 17 9,720 9,737 974 +133% #203
1960s 68 20,034 20,102 2,010 +106% #103
1970s 122 21,791 21,913 2,191 +9% #76
1980s 121 19,452 19,573 1,957 -11% #127
1990s 12 12,100 12,112 1,211 -38% #182
2000s 5 10,542 10,547 1,055 -13% #256
2010s – 4,784 4,784 478 -55% #444
2020s (to 2025) – 1,812 1,812 302 -37% #765

Where Lance 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 270 0.16 outside top 500
2027 262 0.15 outside top 500
2028 255 0.15 outside top 500
2029 250 0.15 outside top 500
2030 246 0.14 outside top 500

Where Lance is most popular

Boys named Lance per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.173 per 1,000. Strongest in Louisiana, Missouri, and Indiana.

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 Lance 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
Louisiana 50 0.489 +182%
Missouri 44 0.317 +83%
Indiana 48 0.299 +73%
Kentucky 30 0.299 +72%
Minnesota 36 0.293 +69%
North Dakota 5 0.293 +69%
Ohio 72 0.272 +57%
South Dakota 5 0.269 +55%
Arkansas 16 0.253 +46%
Utah 24 0.251 +45%
Washington 41 0.251 +45%
Kansas 16 0.233 +35%
Pennsylvania 59 0.222 +28%
North Carolina 55 0.215 +24%
Virginia 37 0.195 +13%
Mississippi 11 0.194 +12%
Illinois 49 0.192 +11%
Iowa 13 0.189 +9%
Wisconsin 21 0.177 ≈ national
Texas 151 0.171 ≈ national
Florida 81 0.171 ≈ national
Tennessee 30 0.166 ≈ national
Colorado 21 0.163 -6%
Georgia 40 0.158 -9%
Alabama 17 0.156 -10%
Michigan 31 0.151 -13%
Oklahoma 13 0.147 -15%
California 126 0.138 -20%
New York 59 0.136 -21%
Maryland 14 0.117 -32%
Arizona 13 0.079 -54%
Oregon 5 0.066 -62%
New Jersey 11 0.055 -68%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Lance

Lance is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #862 in 2025 with 279 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1899, 106,184 American babies have been named Lance. Its peak came in 1970, when 4,173 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

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

How old are people named Lance?

The median living Lance is about 45 years old; half are between 32 and 57. An estimated 94 thousand people named Lance are alive in the United States today.

median 45 020406080100

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

Lance 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 – – 279 #862
2024 – – 291 #840
2023 – – 302 #814
2022 – – 320 #788
2021 – – 305 #804
2020 – – 315 #765
2019 – – 398 #664
2018 – – 394 #651
2017 – – 409 #636
2016 – – 438 #617
2015 – – 454 #604
2014 – – 512 #541
2013 – – 459 #568
2012 – – 541 #494
2011 – – 575 #468
2010 – – 604 #444
2009 – – 639 #438
2008 – – 751 #395
2007 – – 826 #372
2006 – – 1,003 #319
2005 – – 1,256 #264
2004 5 #17,616 1,161 #275
2003 – – 1,167 #269
2002 – – 1,232 #261
2001 – – 1,286 #256
2000 – – 1,221 #267
1995 – – 1,095 #257
1990 5 #14,186 1,697 #182
1985 8 #7,953 2,152 #130
1980 15 #4,854 1,786 #152
1975 – – 1,497 #163
1970 13 #4,374 4,160 #76
1965 9 #4,660 1,754 #169
1960 8 #4,973 1,876 #171
1955 – – 1,059 #221
1950 – – 735 #249
1945 – – 400 #299
1940 – – 254 #358
1935 – – 41 #1,002
1930 – – 26 #1,447
1925 – – 26 #1,478
1920 – – 36 #1,216
1915 – – 23 #1,436
1910 – – 5 #1,734
1905 – – 7 #1,040
1900 – – 8 #1,007
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Lance

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

  1. 1 Lance Reddick Lance Reddick American actor (1962–2023) Contemporary
  2. 2 Lance Armstrong Lance Armstrong American cyclist (born 1971) Contemporary
  3. 3 Lance Stroll Lance Stroll Canadian racing driver (born 1998) Contemporary
  4. 4 Lance Henriksen Lance Henriksen American actor (born 1940) Contemporary
  5. 5 Lance Bass Lance Bass American singer and actor (born 1979) Contemporary
  6. 6 Lance Stephenson Lance Stephenson American basketball player (born 1990) Contemporary
  7. 7 Lance Storm Lance Storm Canadian professional wrestler and trainer (born 1969) Contemporary
  8. 8 Lance Cade Lance Cade American professional wrestler (1981–2010) Contemporary
  9. 9 Lance Archer Lance Archer American professional wrestler (born 1977) Contemporary
  10. 10 Lance Kinsey Lance Kinsey Canadian actor and screenwriter b. 1954 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Lance Thomas Lance Thomas American basketball player (born 1988) Contemporary
  12. 12 Lance Macklin Lance Macklin British racing driver (1919–2002) Contemporary
  13. 13 Lance Davids Lance Davids South African footballer (born 1985) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Lance?

The median living Lance is about 45 years old. Half of all living Lances are between 32 and 57 years old.

How many people named Lance are alive today?

An estimated 94 thousand people named Lance are alive in the United States, based on 106,184 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Lance mean?

Lance is a given name. Notable people with the name include:

How popular is the name Lance in 2025?

Lance ranked #862 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 279 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Lance?

106,184 babies have been named Lance in the United States since 1899, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Lance most popular?

Lance peaked in 1970, when 4,173 newborns received the name.

Is Lance a boy or girl name?

Lance is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Lance rising or falling?

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

Will Lance become more popular?

Lance is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 246 boys named Lance 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 Lance?

Well-known people named Lance include Lance Reddick (actor), Lance Armstrong (cyclist), Lance Stroll (racing driver).

Names like Lance

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

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