boys' name ★ peaked 1952

Laurence

Meaning a person from Laurentum Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #1,747 Trend ↑ Rising 21%

From the name of a third century Roman martyr, Latin Laurentius, "a person from Laurentum", the place name possibly derived from laurus (“laurel”).

Rank 2025
#1,747
among boys · ↑435 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
98
named Laurence · +46% vs 2024
How common
1 in 18,366
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1952
856 babies
All-time total
40,215
#578 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Laurence popularity over time

40,215 babies have been named Laurence since 1880, 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
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 303 303 30 – #261
1890s 39 548 587 59 +94% #201
1900s 48 778 826 83 +41% #202
1910s 85 3,714 3,799 380 +360% #204
1920s 89 5,750 5,839 584 +54% #217
1930s 21 4,808 4,829 483 -17% #220
1940s 16 6,670 6,686 669 +38% #211
1950s 29 6,889 6,918 692 +3% #227
1960s 60 4,216 4,276 428 -38% #338
1970s 12 1,938 1,950 195 -54% #466
1980s 25 1,402 1,427 143 -27% #668
1990s 22 1,073 1,095 110 -23% #936
2000s 16 661 677 68 -38% #1,575
2010s 11 554 565 57 -17% #1,991
2020s (to 2025) 22 416 438 73 +29% #1,747

Where Laurence 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 97 0.06 outside top 500
2027 100 0.06 outside top 500
2028 103 0.06 outside top 500
2029 105 0.06 outside top 500
2030 107 0.06 outside top 500

Where Laurence is most popular

Boys named Laurence per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.040 per 1,000. Strongest in Minnesota, Virginia, and Illinois.

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 Laurence 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 8 0.065 +64%
Virginia 12 0.063 +59%
Illinois 12 0.047 +18%
New York 20 0.046 +16%
California 34 0.037 -7%
Washington 5 0.031 -23%
Michigan 5 0.024 -39%
Ohio 5 0.019 -53%
Pennsylvania 5 0.019 -53%
Florida 5 0.011 -73%
Texas 8 0.009 -77%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
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 Laurence

Laurence is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,747 in 2025 with 93 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 40,215 American babies have been named Laurence. Its peak came in 1952, when 856 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

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

How old are people named Laurence?

The median living Laurence is about 65 years old; half are between 49 and 75. An estimated 19 thousand people named Laurence are alive in the United States today.

median 65 020406080100

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

Laurence 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 5 #16,263 93 #1,747
2024 – – 67 #2,182
2023 – – 68 #2,140
2022 5 #16,657 54 #2,543
2021 5 #16,640 62 #2,265
2020 7 #12,890 72 #1,990
2019 5 #16,946 61 #2,278
2018 6 #14,865 61 #2,250
2017 – – 72 #1,991
2016 – – 56 #2,355
2015 – – 60 #2,249
2014 – – 59 #2,264
2013 – – 45 #2,648
2012 – – 51 #2,470
2011 – – 48 #2,572
2010 – – 41 #2,901
2009 – – 56 #2,337
2008 – – 53 #2,419
2007 – – 55 #2,357
2006 5 #18,816 71 #1,905
2005 – – 61 #2,051
2004 – – 71 #1,774
2003 – – 81 #1,575
2002 5 #16,971 74 #1,627
2001 – – 68 #1,704
2000 6 #14,186 71 #1,649
1995 – – 124 #998
1990 11 #7,626 122 #936
1985 5 #11,634 138 #759
1980 – – 161 #683
1975 – – 179 #608
1970 – – 303 #466
1965 6 #6,178 364 #411
1960 – – 513 #344
1955 – – 641 #284
1950 – – 807 #227
1945 – – 591 #227
1940 – – 604 #211
1935 – – 427 #261
1930 7 #3,870 562 #226
1925 18 #2,155 551 #239
1920 11 #3,004 550 #228
1915 9 #3,010 462 #222
1910 9 #1,699 114 #219
1905 5 #2,088 77 #218
1900 5 #2,079 81 #220
1895 – – 58 #232
1890 5 #1,426 42 #268
1885 – – 33 #293
1880 – – 25 #347

Famous people named Laurence

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

  1. 1 Laurence Fishburne Laurence Fishburne American actor (born 1961) Contemporary
  2. 2 Laurence Olivier Laurence Olivier English actor and director (1907–1989) Contemporary
  3. 3 Laurence Fox Laurence Fox English actor and activist (born 1978) Contemporary
  4. 4 Laurence Harvey Laurence Harvey Lithuanian-British actor (1928–1973) Contemporary
  5. 5 Laurence Sterne Laurence Sterne Anglo-Irish writer and cleric (1713–1768) 18th century
  6. 6 Laurence of Canterbury Laurence of Canterbury Archbishop of Canterbury from 604 to 619, Christian saint 550–619 · Medieval
  7. 7 Laurence Doherty Laurence Doherty English tennis player 1875–1919 · 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Laurence?

The median living Laurence is about 65 years old. Half of all living Laurences are between 49 and 75 years old.

How many people named Laurence are alive today?

An estimated 19 thousand people named Laurence are alive in the United States, based on 40,215 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Laurence mean?

From the name of a third century Roman martyr, Latin Laurentius, "a person from Laurentum", the place name possibly derived from laurus (“laurel”).

How popular is the name Laurence in 2025?

Laurence ranked #1,747 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 93 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Laurence?

40,215 babies have been named Laurence in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Laurence most popular?

Laurence peaked in 1952, when 856 newborns received the name.

Is Laurence a boy or girl name?

Laurence is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Laurence rising or falling?

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

Will Laurence become more popular?

Laurence is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 107 boys named Laurence 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 Laurence?

Well-known people named Laurence include Laurence Fishburne (actor), Laurence Olivier (actor), Laurence Fox (actor).

Names like Laurence

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

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