Total births
105,839
Boys' name · since 1899
Lance
105,839 babies named Lance in U.S. Social Security records since 1899, with the highest year being 1970. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #840
- among boys today
- 105,839
- born since 1899
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other boys
105,839 babies have been named Lance since 1899, making it today's #840 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Lance recorded 105,839 times among boys since 1899, holding rank #840 nationally today, ahead of 94% of boys, peaking in the 1970s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1899 to 2025.
- #840 among boys today
- 105,839 born since 1899
- 1970s peak decade
- 94% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Lance is currently the #840 boys' name in America, more common than 94% of boys - 105,839 born since 1899, peaking in the 1970s.
- #840
- among boys today
- 105,839
- born since 1899
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other boys
Lance vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#840
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 94% of names given to boys today.
1970s
Peak decade
21% of everyone ever named Lance was born in this single decade.
1970
Single peak year
4,160 babies were named Lance in 1970 - its busiest year on record.
How Lance compares
105,839 Top 2% higher than 98% of 14,294 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
Lance's all-time total is 288x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Lance | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 105,839 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 4,160 | 23 | 22,252 |
Lance's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Lance splits its recorded history at 1963: 80% of all births land in the more recent half, 20% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1899 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1970 peak of 4,160 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Lance at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1970
Current rank
#840
Active since
1899
Lance popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1899–2025
- Peak year (1970)
- 4,160
- Annual births at peak, across 127 years of records
Lance popularity over time - girls
345 total births recorded since 1956 (Lance as girls' name)
Lance by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Lance's strongest decade.
21,791 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Lance births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 5
1890s
5 births
- 1900s 61
1900s
61 births
- 1910s 184
1910s
184 births
- 1920s 302
1920s
302 births
- 1930s 868
1930s
868 births
- 1940s 4,184
1940s
4,184 births
- 1950s
1950s
9,720 births
- 1960s
1960s
20,034 births
- 1970s
1970s
21,791 births
- 1980s
1980s
19,452 births
- 1990s
1990s
12,100 births
- 2000s
2000s
10,542 births
- 2010s 4,784
2010s
4,784 births
- 2020s 1,812
2020s
1,812 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 21,791 births (21% of all-time use).
How Lance 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 Lance's total volume
Lance vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Lance by state
Where Lance concentrates geographically, total births since 1899
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 11,641 | 11.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 8,294 | 7.8% |
| #3 | New York | | 6,122 | 5.8% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 4,675 | 4.4% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 4,444 | 4.2% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 4,145 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 3,921 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Louisiana | | 3,773 | 3.6% |
California share of Lance's total US births 11.0%
Even split
11,641 of 105,839 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Lance appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Lance? ▼
Since 1899, Social Security records show 105,839 babies named Lance. Today it holds rank #840 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1970, with 4,160 births.
When was Lance most popular? ▼
Lance was most popular in the 1970s decade with 21,791 total births. The single peak year was 1970.
Where is Lance most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Lance are California (11,641 births), Texas (8,294 births), New York (6,122 births).
How long has the name Lance been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Lance since 1899 -- 127 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Lance? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Landon, Lane, Landen, Landyn, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Lance's data
- Lance's decade-level peak was the 1970s (21,791 total births); usage has since declined to 1,812 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Lances (11,641 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Lance
Nearby Names Like Lance
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Lance
Landon Boy
#106 186,603 births
Lane Boy
#261 47,562 births
Landen Boy
#815 26,819 births
Landyn Boy
#949 11,887 births
Lanny Boy
#12518 9,577 births
Compare Lance side by side: Lance vs Landon Lance vs Lane Lance vs Landen
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Lance
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1899–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Lance: #840 Boys' Name - 105,839 Births, Peak 1970." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/lance. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Lance 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 June 2026.