Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 2000

Lars

Meaning Borrowed from North Germanic, from Latin Laurentius Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,897 Trend → Stable

Borrowed from North Germanic, from Latin Laurentius.

Rank 2025
#1,897
among boys · ↑284 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
83
named Lars · +24% vs 2024
How common
1 in 20,579
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2000
128 babies
All-time total
7,035
#1,456 all-time among boys
First recorded
1883
in Social Security records

Lars popularity over time

7,035 babies have been named Lars since 1883, 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
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1901Boys

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 Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s 22 2 – #767
1890s 5 1 -77% #1,152
1900s 8 1 +60% #816
1910s 99 10 +1137% #1,464
1920s 139 14 +40% #1,743
1930s 153 15 +10% #1,298
1940s 215 22 +41% #1,243
1950s 500 50 +133% #791
1960s 876 88 +75% #737
1970s 826 83 -6% #799
1980s 815 82 -1% #882
1990s 918 92 +13% #1,156
2000s 1,136 114 +24% #1,103
2010s 869 87 -24% #1,538
2020s (to 2025) 454 76 -13% #1,757

Where Lars 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 83 0.05 outside top 500
2027 83 0.05 outside top 500
2028 83 0.05 outside top 500
2029 83 0.05 outside top 500
2030 83 0.05 outside top 500

Where Lars is most popular

Boys named Lars per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.043 per 1,000. Strongest in Minnesota, Utah, and Washington.

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 Lars 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
Minnesota 36 0.293 +583%
Utah 20 0.210 +388%
Washington 16 0.098 +128%
Oregon 5 0.066 +53%
California 47 0.051 +20%
Colorado 5 0.039 -10%
Michigan 7 0.034 -20%
Pennsylvania 6 0.023 -47%
New York 8 0.018 -57%
Florida 6 0.013 -70%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Texas – – –
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 Lars

Lars is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,897 in 2025 with 83 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1883, 7,035 American babies have been named Lars. Its peak came in 2000, when 128 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

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

How old are people named Lars?

The median living Lars is about 32 years old; half are between 18 and 52. An estimated 6,100 people named Lars are alive in the United States today.

median 32 020406080100

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

Lars year by year

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

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 83 #1,897
2024 67 #2,181
2023 67 #2,164
2022 95 #1,757
2021 59 #2,343
2020 83 #1,806
2019 69 #2,102
2018 87 #1,772
2017 88 #1,759
2016 109 #1,538
2015 91 #1,711
2014 83 #1,809
2013 95 #1,620
2012 84 #1,779
2011 74 #1,896
2010 89 #1,722
2009 95 #1,660
2008 102 #1,569
2007 125 #1,348
2006 101 #1,506
2005 116 #1,312
2004 111 #1,332
2003 117 #1,243
2002 127 #1,129
2001 114 #1,197
2000 128 #1,103
1995 91 #1,217
1990 84 #1,193
1985 69 #1,121
1980 99 #903
1975 75 #949
1970 104 #799
1965 82 #818
1960 61 #978
1955 41 #1,176
1950 34 #1,244
1945 20 #1,516
1940 22 #1,453
1935 15 #1,880
1930 13 #2,242
1925 11 #2,680
1920 14 #2,289
1915 17 #1,747
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Lars

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

  1. 1 Lars Ulrich Lars Ulrich Danish drummer (born 1963) Contemporary
  2. 2 Lars von Trier Lars von Trier Danish filmmaker (born 1956) Contemporary
  3. 3 Lars Mikkelsen Lars Mikkelsen Danish actor (born 1964) Contemporary
  4. 4 Lars Løkke Rasmussen Lars Løkke Rasmussen Prime Minister of Denmark (2009–2011; 2015–2019) b. 1964 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Lars Ricken Lars Ricken German footballer b. 1976 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Lars Bender Lars Bender German footballer (born 1989) Contemporary
  7. 7 Lars Lagerbäck Lars Lagerbäck Swedish footballer and manager b. 1948 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Lars Vilks Lars Vilks Swedish artist and activist (1946–2021) Contemporary
  9. 9 Lars Porsena Lars Porsena Etruscan king of Clusium involved in wars against Rome -600–-500 · Antiquity
  10. 10 Lars Levi Laestadius Lars Levi Laestadius Sami-Swedish Lutheran pastor (1800–1861) 18th century
  11. 11 Lars Onsager Lars Onsager Norwegian-American physical chemist and theoretical physicist (1903-1976) Contemporary
  12. 12 Lars Ahlfors Lars Ahlfors Finnish mathematician (1907–1996) Contemporary
  13. 13 Lars Magnus Ericsson Lars Magnus Ericsson Swedish inventor 1846–1926 · 19th century
  14. 14 Lars Peter Hansen Lars Peter Hansen American economist b. 1952 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Lars Hörmander Lars Hörmander Swedish mathematician (1931–2012) Contemporary
  16. 16 Lars Hanson Lars Hanson Swedish film and stage actor 1886–1965 · 19th century
  17. 17 Lars Olsen Lars Olsen Danish footballer (born 1961) Contemporary
  18. 18 Lars Elstrup Danish footballer (born 1963) Contemporary
  19. 19 Lars Norén Lars Norén Swedish playwright (1944–2021) Contemporary
  20. 20 Lars Høgh Lars Høgh Danish footballer (1959–2021) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Lars?

The median living Lars is about 32 years old. Half of all living Larss are between 18 and 52 years old.

How many people named Lars are alive today?

An estimated 6,100 people named Lars are alive in the United States, based on 7,035 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Lars mean?

Borrowed from North Germanic, from Latin Laurentius.

How popular is the name Lars in 2025?

Lars ranked #1,897 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 83 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Lars?

7,035 babies have been named Lars in the United States since 1883, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Lars most popular?

Lars peaked in 2000, when 128 newborns received the name.

Is Lars a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Lars rising or falling?

Lars has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Lars become more popular?

Lars looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 83 boys named Lars in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Lars?

Well-known people named Lars include Lars Ulrich (musician), Lars von Trier (film director), Lars Mikkelsen (actor).

Names like Lars

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

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