Girls' name · since 1883
Laurel
47,113 babies named Laurel in U.S. Social Security records since 1883, with the highest year being 1956. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #612 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #734 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 47,113
- born since 1883
- 1950s
- peak decade
Yes -- Laurel is the #734 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 47,113 recorded since 1883.
Laurel has 47,113 recorded births among girls since 1883, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #734 as of the latest data, more common than 96% of girls, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1883 to 2025.
- #612 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #734 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 47,113 born since 1883
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Laurel ranks #612 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #734 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 47,113 born since 1883, peaking in the 1950s.
- #612 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #734 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 47,113
- born since 1883
- 1950s
- peak decade
Laurel's 47,113 recorded births place it above 99.15% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
50 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Laurel compares
47,113 Top 4% higher than 96% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Laurel's all-time total is 125x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Laurel | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 47,113 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,181 | 21 | 19,840 |
Laurel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Laurel splits its recorded history at 1955: 73% of all births land in the more recent half, 27% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1885 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1956 peak of 1,181 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Laurel popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1883–2025
- Peak year (1956)
- 1,181
- Annual births at peak, across 143 years of records
Laurel popularity over time - boys
1,860 total births recorded since 1887 (Laurel as boys' name)
Laurel by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (9,439 births, 20% of the file).
1950s was Laurel's strongest decade.
9,439 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Laurel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 42
1880s
42 births
- 1890s 98
1890s
98 births
- 1900s 108
1900s
108 births
- 1910s 366
1910s
366 births
- 1920s 1,437
1920s
1,437 births
- 1930s 1,525
1930s
1,525 births
- 1940s
1940s
4,890 births
- 1950s
1950s
9,439 births
- 1960s
1960s
6,366 births
- 1970s
1970s
4,065 births
- 1980s
1980s
4,901 births
- 1990s
1990s
4,365 births
- 2000s 3,445
2000s
3,445 births
- 2010s 3,618
2010s
3,618 births
- 2020s 2,448
2020s
2,448 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 9,439 births (20% of all-time use).
How Laurel compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Laurel's total volume
Laurel by state
Where Laurel concentrates geographically, total births since 1883
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 5,641 | 12.0% |
| #2 | New York | | 3,216 | 6.8% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 2,660 | 5.6% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 2,338 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 2,297 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Texas | | 2,094 | 4.4% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 2,000 | 4.2% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 1,638 | 3.5% |
5,641 of 47,113 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Laurel appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Laurel? ▼
Where does Laurel sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Laurel most popular? ▼
Where is Laurel most popular? ▼
How long has the name Laurel been used? ▼
What names are similar to Laurel? ▼
What to do with Laurel's data
- Laurel's decade-level peak was the 1950s (9,439 total births); usage has since declined to 2,448 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Laurels (5,641 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Laurel
Nearby Names Like Laurel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Laurel
Compare Laurel side by side: Laurel vs Laura Laurel vs Lauren Laurel vs Laurie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Laurel
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Laurel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1956)
Similar record span (~142 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, 1883–2025 (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 Laurel 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.