Boys' name · since 1880
Lafayette
Lafayette has 4,861 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1921 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1,807 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #9,715 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 4,861
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
4,861 babies have been named Lafayette since 1880, making it today's #9715 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Lafayette recorded 4,861 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #9715 nationally today, ahead of 30% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1,807 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #9,715 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 4,861 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Lafayette ranks #1,807 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #9,715 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 4,861 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1,807 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #9,715 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 4,861
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Lafayette's 4,861 recorded births place it above 96.02% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
19 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Lafayette compares
4,861 Top 13% higher than 87% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Lafayette's all-time total is 13x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Lafayette | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,861 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 86 | 34 | 22,252 |
Lafayette's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Lafayette's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 45% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 55%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1901, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1921 peak of 86, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Lafayette popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 86
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Lafayette popularity over time - girls
21 total births recorded since 1919 (Lafayette as girls' name)
Lafayette by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (576 births, 12% of the file).
1920s was Lafayette's strongest decade.
576 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 12% of all-time use.
Lafayette births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 210
1880s
210 births
- 1890s 145
1890s
145 births
- 1900s 128
1900s
128 births
- 1910s
1910s
457 births
- 1920s
1920s
576 births
- 1930s
1930s
527 births
- 1940s
1940s
479 births
- 1950s
1950s
499 births
- 1960s
1960s
466 births
- 1970s
1970s
401 births
- 1980s
1980s
342 births
- 1990s
1990s
289 births
- 2000s 140
2000s
140 births
- 2010s 137
2010s
137 births
- 2020s 65
2020s
65 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 576 births (12% of all-time use).
How Lafayette compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Lafayette's total volume
Lafayette by state
Where Lafayette concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 222 | 4.6% |
| #2 | North Carolina | | 189 | 3.9% |
| #3 | California | | 171 | 3.5% |
| #4 | Alabama | | 115 | 2.4% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 102 | 2.1% |
| #6 | Virginia | | 84 | 1.7% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 70 | 1.4% |
| #8 | Mississippi | | 58 | 1.2% |
222 of 4,861 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 19 reporting states.
Lafayette appears in 19 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Lafayette? ▼
Where does Lafayette sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Lafayette most popular? ▼
Where is Lafayette most popular? ▼
How long has the name Lafayette been used? ▼
What names are similar to Lafayette? ▼
What to do with Lafayette's data
- Lafayette's decade-level peak was the 1920s (576 total births); usage has since declined to 65 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Lafayettes (222 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Lafayette
Nearby Names Like Lafayette
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Lafayette
Compare Lafayette side by side: Lafayette vs Lafe Lafayette vs Lafrance Lafayette vs Lafredrick
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Lafayette
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Lafayette: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1921)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Lafayette draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.