US rank #8950 Boys' name Peak 1921 4,854 births

Lafayette — #8950 US boys' name

4,854 babies named Lafayette in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1921. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s2101890s1451900s1281910s4571920s5761930s5271940s4791950s4991960s4661970s4011980s3421990s2892000s1402010s1372020s58
#8950
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 37% of names given to boys today.

1920s
Peak decade

12% of everyone ever named Lafayette was born in this single decade.

1921
Single peak year

86 babies were named Lafayette in 1921 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Lafayette

The Social Security Administration has registered 4,854 babies named Lafayette between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Lafayette currently holds the #8950 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1921, when 86 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Lafayette performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 576 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Lafayette shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in Texas, which accounts for 222 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by North Carolina and California. In total, SSA state-level files list Lafayette in 19 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Lafayette in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 4,854 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Lafayette at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

4,854

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1921

86 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#8,950

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Lafayette popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1921)
86
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
020406080100 202420051986196719481929191018911880 22

Lafayette popularity over time — girls

21 total births recorded since 1919 (Lafayette as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 21 births
4.555.566.5 1974196219341919 5

Lafayette by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
576 births that decade — 12% of Lafayette's all-time total
1880s2101890s1451900s1281910s4571920s5761930s5271940s4791950s4991960s4661970s4011980s3421990s2892000s1402010s1372020s58

Lafayette by state

Where Lafayette concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Lafayette
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%
Texas share of Lafayette's total US births 4.6%
Even split

222 of 4,854 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?
4,854 babies have been named Lafayette since 1880. It currently ranks #8950 among boys. The peak year was 1921 with 86 births.
When was Lafayette most popular?
Lafayette was most popular in the 1920s decade with 576 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Lafayette most popular?
The top states for the name Lafayette are Texas (222 births), North Carolina (189 births), California (171 births).
How long has the name Lafayette been used?
Lafayette has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Lafayette?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Lafe, Lafrance, Lafredrick, Lafon, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Lafayette

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.