Boys' name · since 1880
Laurence
39,720 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.
- #578 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,743 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 39,720
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Laurence currently ranks #1743 among boys' names in America, with 39,720 babies recorded since 1880.
Laurence has 39,720 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1743 as of the latest data, more common than 87% of boys, 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 1880 to 2025.
- #578 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,743 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 39,720 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Laurence ranks #578 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,743 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 39,720 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #578 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,743 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 39,720
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Laurence's 39,720 recorded births place it above 98.72% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
49 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Laurence compares
39,720 Top 5% higher than 95% of 13,930 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
Laurence's all-time total is 108x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Laurence | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 39,720 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 845 | 34 | 22,252 |
Laurence's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Laurence splits its recorded history at 1953: 37% of all births land in the more recent half, 63% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1882 (24 births) -- compare that against the 1952 peak of 845 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Laurence popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1952)
- 845
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Laurence popularity over time - girls
495 total births recorded since 1890 (Laurence as girls' name)
Laurence by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (6,889 births, 17% of the file).
1950s was Laurence's strongest decade.
6,889 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Laurence births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 303
1880s
303 births
- 1890s 548
1890s
548 births
- 1900s 778
1900s
778 births
- 1910s
1910s
3,714 births
- 1920s
1920s
5,750 births
- 1930s
1930s
4,808 births
- 1940s
1940s
6,670 births
- 1950s
1950s
6,889 births
- 1960s
1960s
4,216 births
- 1970s 1,938
1970s
1,938 births
- 1980s 1,402
1980s
1,402 births
- 1990s 1,073
1990s
1,073 births
- 2000s 661
2000s
661 births
- 2010s 554
2010s
554 births
- 2020s 416
2020s
416 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 6,889 births (17% of all-time use).
How Laurence 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 Laurence's total volume
Laurence by state
Where Laurence concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 5,573 | 14.0% |
| #2 | California | | 3,698 | 9.3% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 2,431 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Massachusetts | | 2,342 | 5.9% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 2,000 | 5.0% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 1,804 | 4.5% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 1,418 | 3.6% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 1,363 | 3.4% |
5,573 of 39,720 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? ▼
Where does Laurence sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Laurence most popular? ▼
Where is Laurence most popular? ▼
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What to do with Laurence's data
- Laurence's decade-level peak was the 1950s (6,889 total births); usage has since declined to 416 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Laurences (5,573 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Laurence
Nearby Names Like Laurence
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Laurence
Compare Laurence side by side: Laurence vs Lauren Laurence vs Laura Laurence vs Lauro
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Laurence
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Laurence: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1952)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Laurence 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.