boy's name
Lawrence
LOR-uns
- Origin Latin
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 470,048
the United States
#518
2025 births
Lawrence is a boy's name meaning from Laurentum, an ancient Italian town linked to the laurel. Its own pet form has outsold it — Larry holds 812,673 recorded births against Lawrence's 468,282, though it is Lawrence that our data marks stable.
- Lawrence is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 1952, when 10,336 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 5,667 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Lawrence over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,919 |
| 1890s | 4,622 |
| 1900s | 6,895 |
| 1910s | 36,543 |
| 1920s | 57,176 |
| 1930s | 54,758 |
| 1940s | 80,717 |
| 1950s | 91,386 |
| 1960s | 51,601 |
| 1970s | 26,910 |
| 1980s | 19,815 |
| 1990s | 13,203 |
| 2000s | 7,624 |
| 2010s | 5,912 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,276 |
What Lawrence means
Lawrence means from Laurentum. The town's name is generally connected to the laurel tree, which is where the crowned-with-laurel reading comes from, but the name itself only says where a man was from.
Where Lawrence comes from
Lawrence is the Latin Laurentius, a man of Laurentum — a city of ancient Latium whose name is usually traced to laurus, the bay or laurel, the plant Romans wove into victory wreaths. Saint Lawrence, a deacon of Rome martyred in 258, is said to have been ordered to hand over the treasures of the Church and to have presented the poor of the city instead. His cult spread the name across Europe. The w spelling is English; Laurence with a u is the French and Irish form, and both are in use. Its unusual position is that the clipped Larry, which came much later, now carries nearly twice its volume.
Lawrence in use
Lawrence peaked in the United States in 1952, when 10,336 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 518th in the United States on 585 births, 550th in England and Wales on 71, 886th in Ireland and 5303rd in France, across 470,048 lifetime births. Larry, its own pet form, holds 812,673 — so as with Steven and Stephen, the shorter form has taken the larger share, though here the parent name is the one that is stable.
How popular is Lawrence?
In 2025, Lawrence was given to 585 babies in the United States, ranking #518 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Lawrence is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Lawrence
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Lawrence also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Lawrence over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Lawrence
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Lawrence in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Lorenzo
Sibling names for Lawrence
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Lawrence — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Lawrence
What does the name Lawrence mean?
From Laurentum, an ancient Italian town whose name is linked to the laurel.
Is it Lawrence or Laurence?
Lawrence with a w is the English spelling; Laurence with a u is French and Irish. Both are current.
Is Larry more common than Lawrence?
Yes — Larry holds 812,673 recorded births against Lawrence's 468,282.
How popular is Lawrence?
518th in the United States and 550th in England and Wales, and our data marks it stable.
Is Lawrence a girl's or a boy's name?
Lawrence is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Lawrence?
Lawrence has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Lawrence?
Lawrence is usually shortened to Larry and Laurie.
Is Lawrence a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Lawrence currently ranks #518 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.