girl's name
Lorelei
LOR-uh-ly (English)
- Origin German
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 21,580
the United States
#441
2025 births
Lorelei is a girl's name from a rock on the Rhine River near Koblenz, Germany. In legend a beautiful maiden sat there, luring boatmen to their deaths with her song, a story popularized in the nineteenth century by writers including Heinrich Heine.
- Lorelei is a name of German origin.
- Peaked in 2016, when 716 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 4,743 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1916.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Lorelei Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 |
| 1920s | 154 |
| 1930s | 354 |
| 1940s | 587 |
| 1950s | 1,269 |
| 1960s | 1,020 |
| 1970s | 633 |
| 1980s | 429 |
| 1990s | 375 |
| 2000s | 2,919 |
| 2010s | 6,407 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,037 |
What Lorelei Means
Lorelei refers to a murmuring rock, from older German words. The legend has given the name its lasting sense of an alluring, dangerous woman, and it's a romantic choice for modern parents.
Where Lorelei Comes From
The rock's name is usually explained through Middle High German lūren, to lurk or murmur, plus ley, an old Rhineland word for a cliff, so it may mean the murmuring rock, perhaps after its echo. MomJunction instead gives lore as fairy, a less supported reading. Clemens Brentano invented the story of the enchantress in an 1801 ballad, and Heine's 1824 poem Die Lorelei, set to music by Friedrich Silcher, made it a German classic. American parents took it up in the twentieth century in spellings such as Lorelai and Lorilee.
Lorelei in Use
Lorelei Lee is the gold-digging heroine of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, played by Marilyn Monroe on film. Lorelai Gilmore of Gilmore Girls brought that spelling to a new generation.
How Popular Is Lorelei?
In 2025, Lorelei was given to 699 babies in the United States, ranking #441 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Where Lorelei 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.
How Lorelei Is Spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Loreleï | Loreleï is Lorelei written with a diaeresis in France, and the spelling parents there overwhelmingly choose: it ranks #1,935 in France, against #5,852 for Lorelei. | 555 |
| Loréleï | Loréleï is a rare spelling of Lorelei, written with an acute accent and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names That Peaked Alongside Lorelei
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Lorelei Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Lorelei over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Lorelei
- English LOR-uh-ly
2 nicknames for Lorelei
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.
Lorelei 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.
- Italian
- Lorella
Sibling Names for Lorelei
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Lorelei — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Lorelei
What does the name Lorelei mean?
It's from a rock on the Rhine, usually read as murmuring rock.
Who was the Lorelei?
A legendary enchantress of the Rhine whose song lured boatmen to their deaths.
How do you pronounce Lorelei?
LOR-uh-lie.
How popular is the name Lorelei?
In 2025, Lorelei was given to 699 babies in the United States, ranking #441 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Is Lorelei a girl's or a boy's name?
Lorelei is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Lorelei?
Lorelei has 3 syllables.
When was Lorelei most popular?
Lorelei peaked in 2016, when 716 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Lorelei?
Lorelei is usually shortened to Lori and Lola.
Is Lorelei a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Lorelei currently ranks #441 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.