Total births
47,113
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.
- #729
- among girls today
- 47,113
- born since 1883
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Laurel is the #729 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 #729 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.
- #729 among girls today
- 47,113 born since 1883
- 1950s peak decade
- 96% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Laurel is currently the #729 girls' name in America, more common than 96% of girls - 47,113 born since 1883, peaking in the 1950s.
- #729
- among girls today
- 47,113
- born since 1883
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
Laurel vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#729
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 96% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
20% of everyone ever named Laurel was born in this single decade.
1956
Single peak year
1,181 babies were named Laurel in 1956 - its busiest year on record.
How Laurel compares
47,113 Top 3% higher than 97% of 17,726 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 123x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Laurel | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 47,113 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,181 | 48 | 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 at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1956
Current rank
#729
Active since
1883
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
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% |
California share of Laurel's total US births 12.0%
Even split
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? ▼
Laurel has been given to 47,113 babies in the U.S. since 1883, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #729 as of the latest data. 1,181 babies were born in 1956, its single highest year.
When was Laurel most popular? ▼
Laurel was most popular in the 1950s decade with 9,439 total births. The single peak year was 1956.
Where is Laurel most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Laurel are California (5,641 births), New York (3,216 births), Illinois (2,660 births).
How long has the name Laurel been used? ▼
Laurel has been recorded in Social Security data since 1883, spanning 143 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Laurel? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Laura, Lauren, Laurie, Lauryn, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
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
- 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 Laurel
Nearby Names Like Laurel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Laurel
Laura Girl
#357 801,811 births
Lauren Girl
#351 475,577 births
Laurie Girl
#3048 166,488 births
Lauryn Girl
#1107 22,156 births
Lauri Girl
11,063 births
Compare Laurel side by side: Laurel vs Laura Laurel vs Lauren Laurel vs Laurie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Laurel
Araceli #728
20,268 births · Peak 2002
Charley #730
11,347 births · Peak 2014
Rayna #727
13,386 births · Peak 2019
Kayleigh #731
34,561 births · Peak 2009
Kenna #726
13,536 births · Peak 2016
Louisa #732
21,932 births · Peak 2021
Bethany #725
100,902 births · Peak 1987
Karla #733
91,586 births · Peak 1964
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, 1883–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Laurel: #729 Girls' Name - 47,113 Births, Peak 1956." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/laurel. 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 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 June 2026.