Total births
18,189
Girls' name · since 1916
Lorelei
Lorelei has 18,189 recorded births since 1916 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2016 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #454
- among girls today
- 18,189
- born since 1916
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Lorelei currently ranks #454 among girls' names in America, with 18,189 babies recorded since 1916.
Lorelei has 18,189 recorded births among girls since 1916, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #454 as of the latest data, more common than 97% of girls, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1916 to 2025.
- #454 among girls today
- 18,189 born since 1916
- 2010s peak decade
- 97% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Lorelei is currently the #454 girls' name in America, more common than 97% of girls - 18,189 born since 1916, peaking in the 2010s.
- #454
- among girls today
- 18,189
- born since 1916
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Lorelei vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#454
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 97% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
35% of everyone ever named Lorelei was born in this single decade.
2016
Single peak year
716 babies were named Lorelei in 2016 - its busiest year on record.
How Lorelei compares
18,189 Top 6% higher than 94% 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
Lorelei's all-time total is 48x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Lorelei | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 18,189 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 716 | 48 | 19,840 |
Lorelei's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Lorelei's SSA record in two at 1973 and the more recent half accounts for 80% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 20%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1916, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2016 peak of 716, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Lorelei at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
2016
Current rank
#454
Active since
1916
Lorelei popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1916–2025
- Peak year (2016)
- 716
- Annual births at peak, across 110 years of records
Lorelei by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Lorelei's strongest decade.
6,407 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 35% of all-time use.
Lorelei births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 5
1910s
5 births
- 1920s 154
1920s
154 births
- 1930s 354
1930s
354 births
- 1940s 587
1940s
587 births
- 1950s 1,269
1950s
1,269 births
- 1960s 1,020
1960s
1,020 births
- 1970s 633
1970s
633 births
- 1980s 429
1980s
429 births
- 1990s 375
1990s
375 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,919 births
- 2010s
2010s
6,407 births
- 2020s
2020s
4,037 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 6,407 births (35% of all-time use).
How Lorelei 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 Lorelei's total volume
Lorelei vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Lorelei by state
Where Lorelei concentrates geographically, total births since 1916
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,574 | 8.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,286 | 7.1% |
| #3 | New York | | 994 | 5.5% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 928 | 5.1% |
| #5 | Florida | | 797 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 675 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 631 | 3.5% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 519 | 2.9% |
California share of Lorelei's total US births 8.7%
Even split
1,574 of 18,189 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 46 reporting states.
Lorelei appears in 46 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Lorelei? ▼
18,189 babies have been named Lorelei since 1916. It currently ranks #454 among girls. The peak year was 2016 with 716 births.
When was Lorelei most popular? ▼
Lorelei was most popular in the 2010s decade with 6,407 total births. The single peak year was 2016.
Where is Lorelei most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Lorelei are California (1,574 births), Texas (1,286 births), New York (994 births).
How long has the name Lorelei been used? ▼
Records for Lorelei go back to 1916, giving 110 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Lorelei? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Lori, Lorraine, Loretta, Lora, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Lorelei's data
- Lorelei's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (6,407 total births) through the 2020s (4,037) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Loreleis (1,574 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 Lorelei
Nearby Names Like Lorelei
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Lorelei
Lori Girl
#1524 341,911 births
Lorraine Girl
#1420 209,910 births
Loretta Girl
#677 177,564 births
Lora Girl
#3516 52,235 births
Lorena Girl
#1275 44,960 births
Compare Lorelei side by side: Lorelei vs Lori Lorelei vs Lorraine Lorelei vs Loretta
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Lorelei
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, 1916–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Lorelei: #454 Girls' Name - 18,189 Births, Peak 2016." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/lorelei. 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 Lorelei 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.