Lorraine
Lorraine was given to 238 girls in 2025, #1,044 among girls’ names; 210,845 Americans have been recorded with it since 1882 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 89,400 Americans named Lorraine and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (42% of everyone recorded); the median is 70 years old and half are between 61 and 79.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Lorraine by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Lorraine mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Lorraine is “a female given name transferred from the place name, associated with Laura by folk etymology.” Its etymology gives the sense “Lotharingian” (loherenc).
Inherited from Middle English Loreyne, from Old French Loherraine, from loherenc (“Lotharingian”); compare Early Medieval Latin Lotharingia (ultimately named for Lothair II, who ruled it); compare Lotharingia, German Lothringen.
/ləˈɹeɪn/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Lorraine?
#1,044 among girls’ names, 2025
Lorraine rose from #1,724 in 2015 to #1,044 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 0.07 to 0.15 per 1,000.
6,005 babies in 1928, the peak
Lorraine peaked in 1928, when 6,005 babies were given it (5,982 girls, #39 among girls’ names). The 238 births of 2025 are 4% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 238 | #1,044 | 0.15 |
| 2024 | 157 | #1,423 | 0.10 |
| 2023 | 166 | #1,359 | 0.10 |
| 2022 | 182 | #1,302 | 0.11 |
| 2021 | 161 | #1,374 | 0.10 |
| 2020 | 157 | #1,394 | 0.10 |
| 2019 | 158 | #1,420 | 0.09 |
| 2018 | 137 | #1,582 | 0.08 |
| 2017 | 138 | #1,588 | 0.08 |
| 2016 | 144 | #1,558 | 0.08 |
Every recorded year (143)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 122 | #1,724 | 0.07 |
| 2014 | 115 | #1,791 | 0.06 |
| 2013 | 123 | #1,700 | 0.07 |
| 2012 | 88 | #2,155 | 0.05 |
| 2011 | 108 | #1,866 | 0.06 |
| 2010 | 82 | #2,329 | 0.05 |
| 2009 | 100 | #2,051 | 0.05 |
| 2008 | 122 | #1,796 | 0.06 |
| 2007 | 158 | #1,479 | 0.08 |
| 2006 | 110 | #1,856 | 0.06 |
| 2005 | 97 | #1,978 | 0.05 |
| 2004 | 128 | #1,551 | 0.07 |
| 2003 | 130 | #1,505 | 0.07 |
| 2002 | 118 | #1,578 | 0.07 |
| 2001 | 126 | #1,492 | 0.07 |
| 2000 | 164 | #1,211 | 0.09 |
| 1999 | 151 | #1,245 | 0.09 |
| 1998 | 144 | #1,261 | 0.08 |
| 1997 | 159 | #1,162 | 0.09 |
| 1996 | 184 | #1,015 | 0.10 |
| 1995 | 215 | #881 | 0.12 |
| 1994 | 213 | #901 | 0.12 |
| 1993 | 278 | #745 | 0.15 |
| 1992 | 279 | #750 | 0.15 |
| 1991 | 306 | #697 | 0.16 |
| 1990 | 341 | #653 | 0.18 |
| 1989 | 330 | #636 | 0.18 |
| 1988 | 363 | #567 | 0.20 |
| 1987 | 374 | #540 | 0.22 |
| 1986 | 355 | #562 | 0.21 |
| 1985 | 413 | #493 | 0.24 |
| 1984 | 379 | #513 | 0.23 |
| 1983 | 432 | #468 | 0.26 |
| 1982 | 472 | #451 | 0.28 |
| 1981 | 489 | #437 | 0.29 |
| 1980 | 502 | #431 | 0.30 |
| 1979 | 523 | #411 | 0.33 |
| 1978 | 507 | #408 | 0.33 |
| 1977 | 494 | #414 | 0.32 |
| 1976 | 544 | #378 | 0.37 |
| 1975 | 655 | #338 | 0.45 |
| 1974 | 635 | #343 | 0.43 |
| 1973 | 733 | #315 | 0.50 |
| 1972 | 775 | #311 | 0.51 |
| 1971 | 977 | #288 | 0.59 |
| 1970 | 1,159 | #263 | 0.66 |
| 1969 | 1,248 | #238 | 0.74 |
| 1968 | 1,330 | #224 | 0.81 |
| 1967 | 1,522 | #205 | 0.92 |
| 1966 | 1,741 | #189 | 1.0 |
| 1965 | 2,060 | #170 | 1.2 |
| 1964 | 2,356 | #165 | 1.2 |
| 1963 | 2,592 | #154 | 1.3 |
| 1962 | 2,951 | #147 | 1.5 |
| 1961 | 3,113 | #143 | 1.5 |
| 1960 | 3,338 | #135 | 1.7 |
| 1959 | 3,138 | #137 | 1.6 |
| 1958 | 3,163 | #136 | 1.6 |
| 1957 | 3,420 | #129 | 1.7 |
| 1956 | 3,430 | #124 | 1.7 |
| 1955 | 3,372 | #126 | 1.7 |
| 1954 | 3,467 | #120 | 1.8 |
| 1953 | 3,312 | #118 | 1.8 |
| 1952 | 3,463 | #109 | 1.9 |
| 1951 | 3,484 | #102 | 1.9 |
| 1950 | 3,344 | #105 | 2.0 |
| 1949 | 3,457 | #102 | 2.0 |
| 1948 | 3,745 | #96 | 2.2 |
| 1947 | 4,414 | #84 | 2.5 |
| 1946 | 3,886 | #93 | 2.5 |
| 1945 | 3,207 | #87 | 2.5 |
| 1944 | 3,046 | #93 | 2.3 |
| 1943 | 3,015 | #94 | 2.2 |
| 1942 | 3,010 | #91 | 2.2 |
| 1941 | 2,688 | #93 | 2.2 |
| 1940 | 2,579 | #95 | 2.3 |
| 1939 | 2,593 | #95 | 2.4 |
| 1938 | 2,740 | #93 | 2.5 |
| 1937 | 2,940 | #83 | 2.8 |
| 1936 | 3,167 | #76 | 3.0 |
| 1935 | 3,405 | #68 | 3.2 |
| 1934 | 3,775 | #56 | 3.6 |
| 1933 | 3,797 | #54 | 3.8 |
| 1932 | 4,162 | #55 | 3.9 |
| 1931 | 4,588 | #49 | 4.3 |
| 1930 | 5,166 | #46 | 4.6 |
| 1929 | 5,352 | #42 | 4.8 |
| 1928 | 5,982 | #39 | 5.2 |
| 1927 | 5,729 | #44 | 4.8 |
| 1926 | 4,891 | #53 | 4.1 |
| 1925 | 4,983 | #51 | 4.1 |
| 1924 | 5,109 | #52 | 4.1 |
| 1923 | 4,764 | #57 | 3.9 |
| 1922 | 4,668 | #56 | 3.9 |
| 1921 | 4,533 | #61 | 3.7 |
| 1920 | 3,928 | #70 | 3.3 |
| 1919 | 3,976 | #62 | 3.5 |
| 1918 | 3,876 | #69 | 3.3 |
| 1917 | 1,961 | #116 | 1.8 |
| 1916 | 1,671 | #128 | 1.6 |
| 1915 | 1,323 | #141 | 1.3 |
| 1914 | 969 | #152 | 1.3 |
| 1913 | 724 | #160 | 1.2 |
| 1912 | 554 | #176 | 1.0 |
| 1911 | 365 | #193 | 0.87 |
| 1910 | 310 | #210 | 0.78 |
| 1909 | 269 | #214 | 0.77 |
| 1908 | 253 | #214 | 0.76 |
| 1907 | 192 | #246 | 0.60 |
| 1906 | 159 | #261 | 0.54 |
| 1905 | 149 | #269 | 0.51 |
| 1904 | 126 | #282 | 0.46 |
| 1903 | 125 | #281 | 0.48 |
| 1902 | 103 | #313 | 0.39 |
| 1901 | 101 | #301 | 0.42 |
| 1900 | 118 | #302 | 0.39 |
| 1899 | 75 | #344 | 0.32 |
| 1898 | 75 | #364 | 0.29 |
| 1897 | 56 | #390 | 0.24 |
| 1896 | 45 | #431 | 0.19 |
| 1895 | 48 | #406 | 0.21 |
| 1894 | 36 | #470 | 0.16 |
| 1893 | 28 | #526 | 0.13 |
| 1892 | 31 | #492 | 0.15 |
| 1891 | 21 | #581 | 0.11 |
| 1890 | 25 | #530 | 0.13 |
| 1889 | 20 | #585 | 0.11 |
| 1888 | 20 | #562 | 0.11 |
| 1887 | 6 | #1,100 | 0.04 |
| 1886 | 7 | #953 | 0.05 |
| 1885 | 5 | #1,134 | 0.04 |
| 1884 | 9 | #771 | 0.07 |
| 1882 | 6 | #861 | 0.06 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Lorraine a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Lorraine has been given almost only to girls: 935 boys in 143 years of records.
Girls and boys named Lorraine: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Lorraine, and how old are they?
89,400 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 42% of the 210,845 Americans ever recorded as Lorraine. The median Lorraine alive today is 70 years old; half are between 61 and 79.
The 2020 Census counted 107,539 people named Lorraine (107,405 women and girls, 134 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 108,105 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 16,800 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 48,700 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 14,100 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 5,270 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 1,960 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 1,990 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Lorraine born?
The states with the most babies named Lorraine are New York, Illinois and California, with 33% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 33,636 | #1,207 | 1.8× |
| Illinois | 17,244 | #774 | 1.5× |
| California | 16,713 | #1,452 | 1.4× |
| Pennsylvania | 16,436 | #978 | 1.1× |
| Massachusetts | 12,776 | not ranked | 1.9× |
| New Jersey | 11,358 | not ranked | 1.8× |
| Michigan | 9,400 | #918 | 1.1× |
| Minnesota | 9,183 | #634 | 2.0× |
| Wisconsin | 8,989 | not ranked | 1.8× |
| Connecticut | 4,634 | not ranked | 1.7× |
Where Lorraine is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Lorraine is most over-represented in New Hampshire: since 1910 it was given 2.1 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Lorraine with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 242,462 babies since 1880, Lorraine is the most given (87% of them). In 2025 it was given to 238 of their 276 babies (86%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Lorraine
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Lorraine and names like it
- Compare Lorraine and LoraineBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sLorraine peaked in 1928.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Lorraine since 1910.
- From place namesWiktionary’s origin for Lorraine: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1928The year the most babies were named Lorraine.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Lorraine alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with LMost given first.