Laurence
From the Latin Laurentius, meaning man of Laurentum, a town south of Rome whose name was associated with laurus, the laurel tree.
Laurence in 2025
Laurence was given to 98 babies in the United States in 2025 — 93 boys and 5 girls, making it the 3,588th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 33,830 babies born.
The history of Laurence
Laurence reached its highest point in 1952, when 856 babies were given the name, ranking 500th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 469th, in 1913.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 40,215 babies have been named Laurence. Half of them were born before 1946, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Laurence by decade
| Decade | Babies named Laurence | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 303 | 581 |
| 1890s | 587 | 530 |
| 1900s | 826 | 552 |
| 1910s | 3,799 | 469 |
| 1920s | 5,839 | 482 |
| 1930s | 4,829 | 484 |
| 1940s | 6,686 | 469 |
| 1950s | 6,918 | 494 |
| 1960s | 4,276 | 736 |
| 1970s | 1,950 | 1,026 |
| 1980s | 1,427 | 1,539 |
| 1990s | 1,095 | 2,101 |
| 2000s | 677 | 3,599 |
| 2010s | 565 | 4,395 |
| 2020s | 438 | 3,588 |
Where Laurence is heading
Laurence has risen 63% over the past decade, from 60 babies in 2015 to 98 in 2025.
Names like Laurence
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Laurence.