US rank #509 Boys' name Peak 1952 460,585 births

Lawrence — #509 US boys' name

460,585 babies named Lawrence 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.

1880s29191890s45971900s68461910s363541920s568671930s544861940s804591950s911091960s513411970s266631980s196411990s131552000s76142010s58942020s2640
#509
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 96% of names given to boys today.

1950s
Peak decade

20% of everyone ever named Lawrence was born in this single decade.

1952
Single peak year

10,302 babies were named Lawrence in 1952 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Lawrence

The Social Security Administration has registered 460,585 babies named Lawrence between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Lawrence currently holds the #509 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1952, when 10,302 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Lawrence performed strongest in the 1950s, accumulating 91,109 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Lawrence shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 53,721 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by California and Pennsylvania. In total, SSA state-level files list Lawrence in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Lawrence 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 460,585 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.

Lawrence at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

460,585

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1952

10,302 births that year

Strongest decade: 1950s

Current rank

#509

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Lawrence popularity over time — boys

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

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1952)
10,302
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-5,00005,00010,00015,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 257

Lawrence popularity over time — girls

2,180 total births recorded since 1890 (Lawrence as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 2,180 births
01020304050 202419891975196119471933191919041890 6

Lawrence by decade

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

Peak: 1950s
Peak decade
1950s
91,109 births that decade — 20% of Lawrence's all-time total
1880s29191890s45971900s68461910s363541920s568671930s544861940s804591950s911091960s513411970s266631980s196411990s131552000s76142010s58942020s2640

Lawrence by state

Where Lawrence concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Lawrence
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
53,721 11.7%
#2 California
30,914 6.7%
#3 Pennsylvania
30,388 6.6%
#4 Illinois
29,673 6.4%
#5 Michigan
24,476 5.3%
#6 Ohio
24,122 5.2%
#7 Texas
16,587 3.6%
#8 Massachusetts
15,947 3.5%
New York share of Lawrence's total US births 11.7%
Even split

53,721 of 460,585 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Lawrence appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Lawrence?
460,585 babies have been named Lawrence since 1880. It currently ranks #509 among boys. The peak year was 1952 with 10,302 births.
When was Lawrence most popular?
Lawrence was most popular in the 1950s decade with 91,109 total births. The single peak year was 1952.
Where is Lawrence most popular?
The top states for the name Lawrence are New York (53,721 births), California (30,914 births), Pennsylvania (30,388 births).
How long has the name Lawrence been used?
Lawrence has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Lawrence?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Lawson, Lawerence, Lawton, Lawrance, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Lawrence

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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.