Laurence

Boy name

Laurence has been given to 40,215 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1952.

Meaning & origin /ˈlɒ.ɹəns/

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

Origin: Latin

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

40,215

Peak year

1952 (856 babies)

Rank in 2025

Below top 1000

First recorded

1880

10-year trend

▲ +63%

Gender split

1% girls / 99% boys

Famous people named Laurence

Laurence Olivier

English actor and director (1907–1989)

Laurence Fishburne

American actor

Laurence Sterne

Anglo-Irish novelist and Anglican cleric (1713–1768)

Larry Niven

American writer (born 1938)

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Laurence.

Shermanboy

39,393 babies since 1880

Teddyboy

35,402 babies since 1890

Sammyboy

45,140 babies since 1896

Mickeyboy

34,173 babies since 1898

Garryboy

47,849 babies since 1880

Bradfordboy

32,114 babies since 1880

Bennyboy

49,144 babies since 1882

Carltonboy

49,167 babies since 1880

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