US rank #2184 Boys' name Peak 1952 39,627 births

Laurence — #2184 US boys' name

39,627 babies named Laurence in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1952. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s3031890s5481900s7781910s37141920s57501930s48081940s66701950s68891960s42161970s19381980s14031990s10732000s6612010s5542020s322
#2184
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 85% of names given to boys today.

1950s
Peak decade

17% of everyone ever named Laurence was born in this single decade.

1952
Single peak year

845 babies were named Laurence in 1952 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Laurence

The Social Security Administration has registered 39,627 babies named Laurence between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Laurence currently holds the #2184 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1952, when 845 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Laurence performed strongest in the 1950s, accumulating 6,889 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Laurence shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 5,568 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by California and Illinois. In total, SSA state-level files list Laurence in 49 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Laurence 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 39,627 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.

Laurence at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

39,627

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1952

845 births that year

Strongest decade: 1950s

Current rank

#2,184

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Laurence popularity over time — boys

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

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1952)
845
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-20002004006008001,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 25

Laurence popularity over time — girls

490 total births recorded since 1890 (Laurence as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 490 births
05101520 202219961968195219281918190918981890 5

Laurence by decade

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

Peak: 1950s
Peak decade
1950s
6,889 births that decade — 17% of Laurence's all-time total
1880s3031890s5481900s7781910s37141920s57501930s48081940s66701950s68891960s42161970s19381980s14031990s10732000s6612010s5542020s322

Laurence by state

Where Laurence concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Laurence
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
5,568 14.1%
#2 California
3,689 9.3%
#3 Illinois
2,431 6.1%
#4 Massachusetts
2,342 5.9%
#5 Michigan
2,000 5.0%
#6 Pennsylvania
1,804 4.6%
#7 Ohio
1,418 3.6%
#8 New Jersey
1,363 3.4%
New York share of Laurence's total US births 14.1%
Even split

5,568 of 39,627 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.

Laurence appears in 49 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Laurence?
39,627 babies have been named Laurence since 1880. It currently ranks #2184 among boys. The peak year was 1952 with 845 births.
When was Laurence most popular?
Laurence was most popular in the 1950s decade with 6,889 total births. The single peak year was 1952.
Where is Laurence most popular?
The top states for the name Laurence are New York (5,568 births), California (3,689 births), Illinois (2,431 births).
How long has the name Laurence been used?
Laurence has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Laurence?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Lauren, Laura, Lauro, Laurent, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Laurence

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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.