girls' name ★ peaked 1928

Lorraine

Meaning Lotharingian Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,044 Trend ↑ Rising 28%

Inherited from Middle English Loreyne, from Old French Loherraine, from loherenc (“Lotharingian”); compare Early Medieval Latin Lotharingia (ultimately named for Lothair…

Rank 2025
#1,044
among girls · ↑379 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
238
named Lorraine · +52% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,753
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1928
6,005 babies
All-time total
210,845
#189 all-time among girls
First recorded
1882
in Social Security records

Lorraine popularity over time

210,845 babies have been named Lorraine 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
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 73 – 73 7 – #562
1890s 440 – 440 44 +503% #344
1900s 1,595 10 1,605 161 +265% #214
1910s 15,729 141 15,870 1,587 +889% #62
1920s 49,939 259 50,198 5,020 +216% #39
1930s 36,333 225 36,558 3,656 -27% #46
1940s 33,047 136 33,183 3,318 -9% #84
1950s 33,593 83 33,676 3,368 +1% #102
1960s 22,251 69 22,320 2,232 -34% #135
1970s 7,002 5 7,007 701 -69% #263
1980s 4,109 7 4,116 412 -41% #431
1990s 2,270 – 2,270 227 -45% #654
2000s 1,253 – 1,253 125 -45% #1,213
2010s 1,215 – 1,215 122 -3% #1,420
2020s (to 2025) 1,061 – 1,061 177 +46% #1,044

Where Lorraine is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 250 0.16 outside top 500
2027 260 0.16 outside top 500
2028 269 0.17 outside top 500
2029 277 0.17 outside top 500
2030 284 0.18 outside top 500

Where Lorraine is most popular

Girls named Lorraine per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.111 per 1,000. Strongest in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Virginia.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Lorraine 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 Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Minnesota 37 0.343 +208%
Wisconsin 23 0.223 +100%
Virginia 32 0.188 +68%
Washington 25 0.173 +55%
Missouri 19 0.158 +41%
Michigan 28 0.154 +38%
Iowa 8 0.137 +23%
Texas 104 0.129 +16%
Pennsylvania 30 0.127 +14%
Ohio 29 0.122 +10%
Kansas 7 0.121 +9%
New York 48 0.121 +9%
Illinois 27 0.118 +6%
Florida 40 0.093 -16%
Arizona 13 0.093 -17%
Colorado 10 0.090 -20%
North Carolina 19 0.083 -25%
California 65 0.077 -31%
Georgia 17 0.075 -33%
Utah 6 0.072 -35%
Kentucky 5 0.058 -48%
Indiana 7 0.050 -55%
Tennessee 6 0.038 -66%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
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 Lorraine

Lorraine is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,044 in 2025 with 238 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1882, 210,845 American babies have been named Lorraine. Its peak came in 1928, when 6,005 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

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

How old are people named Lorraine?

The median living Lorraine is about 70 years old; half are between 61 and 79. An estimated 97 thousand people named Lorraine are alive in the United States today.

median 70 020406080100

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

Lorraine 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 238 #1,044 – –
2024 157 #1,423 – –
2023 166 #1,359 – –
2022 182 #1,302 – –
2021 161 #1,374 – –
2020 157 #1,394 – –
2019 158 #1,420 – –
2018 137 #1,582 – –
2017 138 #1,588 – –
2016 144 #1,558 – –
2015 122 #1,724 – –
2014 115 #1,791 – –
2013 123 #1,700 – –
2012 88 #2,155 – –
2011 108 #1,866 – –
2010 82 #2,329 – –
2009 100 #2,051 – –
2008 122 #1,796 – –
2007 158 #1,479 – –
2006 110 #1,856 – –
2005 97 #1,979 – –
2004 128 #1,552 – –
2003 130 #1,506 – –
2002 118 #1,579 – –
2001 126 #1,493 – –
2000 164 #1,213 – –
1995 215 #884 – –
1990 341 #654 – –
1985 413 #493 – –
1980 502 #431 – –
1975 655 #338 – –
1970 1,159 #263 – –
1965 2,060 #170 7 #3,432
1960 3,338 #135 7 #3,530
1955 3,372 #126 7 #3,380
1950 3,344 #105 10 #2,522
1945 3,207 #87 14 #1,898
1940 2,579 #95 16 #1,771
1935 3,405 #68 26 #1,340
1930 5,166 #46 40 #1,103
1925 4,983 #51 30 #1,350
1920 3,928 #70 23 #1,625
1915 1,323 #141 14 #2,028
1910 310 #210 – –
1905 149 #269 5 #1,347
1900 118 #302 – –
1895 48 #406 – –
1890 25 #530 – –
1885 5 #1,134 – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Lorraine

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

  1. 1 Lorraine Bracco Lorraine Bracco American actress (born 1954) Contemporary
  2. 2 Lorraine Toussaint Lorraine Toussaint Trinidadian actress (born 1960) Contemporary
  3. 3 Lorraine Gary American actress (born 1937) Contemporary
  4. 4 Lorraine Hansberry Lorraine Hansberry African-American playwright and author (1930–1965) Contemporary
  5. 5 Lorraine Crapp Lorraine Crapp Australian swimmer (born 1938) Contemporary
  6. 6 Lorraine Fenton Jamaican sprinter (born 1973) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Lorraine?

The median living Lorraine is about 70 years old. Half of all living Lorraines are between 61 and 79 years old.

How many people named Lorraine are alive today?

An estimated 97 thousand people named Lorraine are alive in the United States, based on 210,845 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Lorraine mean?

Inherited from Middle English Loreyne, from Old French Loherraine, from loherenc (“Lotharingian”); compare Early Medieval Latin Lotharingia (ultimately named for Lothair II, who ruled it); compare Lotharingia, German Lothringen.

How popular is the name Lorraine in 2025?

Lorraine ranked #1,044 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 238 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Lorraine?

210,845 babies have been named Lorraine in the United States since 1882, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Lorraine most popular?

Lorraine peaked in 1928, when 6,005 newborns received the name.

Is Lorraine a boy or girl name?

Lorraine is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Lorraine rising or falling?

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

Will Lorraine become more popular?

Lorraine is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 284 girls named Lorraine 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 Lorraine?

Well-known people named Lorraine include Lorraine Bracco (actor), Lorraine Toussaint (actor), Lorraine Gary (actor).

Names like Lorraine

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

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