Unisex name ★ peaked 2019

Lane

Meaning As an English surname, from lane Gender Unisex · 9% girls Rank 2025 #250 Trend → Stable

As an English surname, from lane; as an Irish surname, from several origins, including Laighin.

Rank 2025
#250
among boys · ↑11 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,495
named Lane · +5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,235
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2019
1,505 babies
All-time total
52,177
#526 all-time among boys
First recorded
1881
in Social Security records

Lane popularity over time

52,177 babies have been named Lane since 1881, 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
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 11 11 1 – #899
1890s – 16 16 2 +45% #994
1900s – 24 24 2 +50% #1,071
1910s 5 177 182 18 +658% #1,163
1920s 21 388 409 41 +125% #969
1930s 57 565 622 62 +52% #686
1940s 216 945 1,161 116 +87% #558
1950s 348 1,993 2,341 234 +102% #431
1960s 247 2,416 2,663 266 +14% #475
1970s 203 1,578 1,781 178 -33% #531
1980s 613 1,896 2,509 251 +41% #592
1990s 697 7,028 7,725 773 +208% #246
2000s 776 10,234 11,010 1,101 +43% #274
2010s 798 12,169 12,967 1,297 +18% #258
2020s (to 2025) 634 8,122 8,756 1,459 +13% #250

Where Lane 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 1,402 0.82 #248
2027 1,418 0.83 #242
2028 1,432 0.84 #242
2029 1,444 0.85 #242
2030 1,454 0.85 #242

Where Lane is most popular

Boys named Lane per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.782 per 1,000. Strongest in Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota.

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 Lane 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
Wyoming 28 4.84 +519%
Montana 72 4.08 +422%
South Dakota 55 2.96 +278%
Nebraska 126 2.90 +271%
Iowa 194 2.81 +260%
North Dakota 43 2.52 +222%
West Virginia 75 2.30 +194%
Missouri 293 2.11 +170%
Oklahoma 181 2.05 +162%
Arkansas 124 1.96 +151%
Kansas 132 1.92 +146%
Louisiana 171 1.67 +114%
Idaho 66 1.61 +106%
Kentucky 150 1.49 +91%
Maine 29 1.49 +91%
Wisconsin 174 1.47 +88%
Minnesota 179 1.46 +87%
Mississippi 77 1.36 +73%
Ohio 341 1.29 +65%
Tennessee 227 1.26 +61%
Indiana 200 1.25 +60%
New Mexico 38 1.15 +48%
Oregon 87 1.15 +47%
Alabama 116 1.06 +36%
New Hampshire 22 0.991 +27%
Utah 94 0.985 +26%
Michigan 199 0.972 +24%
Pennsylvania 257 0.968 +24%
Washington 157 0.960 +23%
South Carolina 94 0.910 +16%
Colorado 116 0.899 +15%
Illinois 227 0.888 +14%
North Carolina 226 0.885 +13%
Texas 756 0.858 +10%
Virginia 162 0.854 +9%
Georgia 213 0.841 +8%
Vermont 5 0.796 ≈ national
Nevada 42 0.737 -6%
Delaware 11 0.725 -7%
Arizona 111 0.678 -13%
Maryland 74 0.621 -21%
Alaska 7 0.588 -25%
Florida 254 0.536 -31%
New York 134 0.309 -60%
California 256 0.280 -64%
New Jersey 56 0.278 -64%
Massachusetts 25 0.182 -77%
Connecticut 11 0.162 -79%
District of Columbia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Rhode Island – – –

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 Lane

Lane is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #250 in 2025 with 1,383 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1881, 52,177 American babies have been named Lane, about 91% boys and 9% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2019, when 1,505 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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

How old are people named Lane?

The median living Lane is about 18 years old; half are between 8 and 29. An estimated 49 thousand people named Lane are alive in the United States today.

median 18 020406080100

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

Lane 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 112 #1,805 1,383 #250
2024 87 #2,189 1,332 #261
2023 100 #1,976 1,374 #255
2022 120 #1,738 1,339 #261
2021 111 #1,822 1,322 #261
2020 104 #1,867 1,372 #256
2019 98 #1,982 1,407 #258
2018 85 #2,201 1,212 #291
2017 78 #2,348 1,178 #299
2016 86 #2,239 1,232 #294
2015 98 #2,022 1,209 #297
2014 63 #2,764 1,200 #296
2013 69 #2,585 1,152 #304
2012 76 #2,441 1,223 #290
2011 74 #2,473 1,294 #270
2010 71 #2,576 1,062 #303
2009 76 #2,499 1,053 #306
2008 66 #2,764 1,053 #317
2007 70 #2,633 1,016 #316
2006 82 #2,318 986 #327
2005 68 #2,543 1,039 #317
2004 80 #2,220 1,068 #299
2003 89 #2,025 1,129 #274
2002 98 #1,835 981 #299
2001 69 #2,315 894 #310
2000 78 #2,094 1,015 #296
1995 66 #2,071 1,168 #246
1990 68 #2,002 328 #558
1985 51 #2,090 179 #658
1980 35 #2,676 146 #727
1975 24 #3,004 147 #678
1970 30 #2,478 232 #531
1965 16 #3,204 225 #507
1960 26 #2,338 277 #476
1955 31 #1,928 184 #546
1950 30 #1,745 160 #539
1945 20 #1,913 80 #674
1940 14 #2,247 67 #752
1935 6 #3,999 69 #740
1930 – – 53 #923
1925 8 #3,868 33 #1,271
1920 – – 24 #1,573
1915 – – 23 #1,437
1910 – – 7 #1,372
1905 – – 6 #1,171
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Lane

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

  1. 1 Lane Smith Lane Smith American actor (1936–2005) Contemporary
  2. 2 Lane Garrison American actor b. 1980 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Lane?

The median living Lane is about 18 years old. Half of all living Lanes are between 8 and 29 years old.

How many people named Lane are alive today?

An estimated 49 thousand people named Lane are alive in the United States, based on 52,177 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Lane mean?

As an English surname, from lane; as an Irish surname, from several origins, including Laighin.

How popular is the name Lane in 2025?

Lane ranked #250 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,383 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Lane?

52,177 babies have been named Lane in the United States since 1881, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Lane most popular?

Lane peaked in 2019, when 1,505 newborns received the name.

Is Lane a boy or girl name?

Lane is used for both: about 9% of babies named Lane have been girls and 91% boys.

Is the name Lane rising or falling?

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

Will Lane become more popular?

Lane looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,454 boys named Lane in 2030, ranking around #242. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Lane?

Well-known people named Lane include Lane Smith (actor), Lane Garrison (actor).

Names like Lane

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

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