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Laurence

boy name
Origin
Latin
Syllables
2
Peak era
Rare
Today
▬ Steady

Torn between Laurence and another name? Compare them side by side →

Meaning

from Laurentum, crowned with laurel

Laurence across languages

One shared root links 7 names across 3 languages.

Shared root: from Latin Laurentius "man from Laurentum", a city name Rome linked by tradition to laurus "laurel"

The constellation

LaurenceEnglish · variantLawrenceEnglishLorenzoItalianLarsScandinavian

More branches

LarryEnglish · short formLorenEnglish · variantLawsonEnglish · surname form

Ways to honor Lawrence →

How popular is Laurence around the world?

In the United States, 438 babies were named Laurence between 2020 and 2025. In Canada, 99 girls named Laurence were born in 2024, the 305th most common name among girls that year.

Laurence is on the official records of the United States, Canada, England and Wales, South Australia, Austria, France, Spain and Brazil.

United States

1 in 50,000

In the United States, 438 babies were named Laurence between 2020 and 2025.

1890srare in US records2020s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Laurence has stayed rare in US records the whole time: no peak decade to name. In US birth records Laurence has stayed between 438 and 6,918 births in every decade since the 1950s: a name everyone knows and few children get.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

See the full list for the United States →

Canada

1 in 3,400

In Canada, 99 girls named Laurence were born in 2024, the 305th most common name among girls that year.

peak 19962024

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)

See the full list for Canada →

England and Wales

1 in 5,800

In England and Wales, 101 boys named Laurence were born in 2025, the 401st most common name among boys that year.

peak 19972025

share of that year’s name registrations

Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales

See the full list for England and Wales →

South Australia

1 in 9,200 · 2017

In South Australia, 2 boys were registered as Laurence in 2017.

peak 19452017

share of that year’s name registrations

Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names

See the full list for South Australia →

Austria

1 in 38,000

In Austria, 2 boys named Laurence were born in 2025, ranked 1,241st among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
The count never rose above 6 in a year, too few to chart.

Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)

See the full list for Austria →

France

1 in 130,000

In France, about 5 girls named Laurence were born in 2025, ranked 5,352nd among girls that year.

1900peak 19672025

share of that year’s births on record

Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)

See the full list for France →

Spain

1 in 240,000

In Spain, 134 residents are named Laurence, ranked 6,161st among women, with a mean age of 54.6 years.
In Spain, 54 residents are named Laurence, ranked 13,665th among men, with a mean age of 49 years.

Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025

See the full list for Spain →

Brazil

1 in 500,000

At the 2022 census, 502 people in Brazil were named Laurence, ranked 13,329th, with a median age of 40.
Among people named Laurence living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.

1950speak 1980s2000s

people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth

People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

See the full list for Brazil →

Ireland

last on record 2024

Laurence is not on the 2025 record for Ireland, where names under 3 in a year are withheld at source.

peak 19642025

share of that year’s name registrations

Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names

See the full list for Ireland →

Montevideo City

last on record 2004

Laurence is not on the 2011 record for Montevideo, whose registry withholds nothing, so the spelling was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.

Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial

See the full list for Montevideo →

New South Wales

outside the top 100

Laurence is not in the 2025 top 100 for New South Wales.

peak 19522025

share of that year’s top-100 registrations

New South Wales (not all of Australia) publishes only each year’s 100 most popular names per sex, so a missing year means below that top 100, not rare. Source: NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, popular baby names

See the full list for New South Wales →

New Zealand

last on record 1998

Laurence is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.

peak 19242025

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time

See the full list for New Zealand →

Scotland

last on record 2023

Laurence is not on the 2024 record for Scotland, where spellings under 3 in total are suppressed at source.

peak 19752024

share of that year’s name registrations

Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names

See the full list for Scotland →

Not on the record in Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.

Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

When you meet Laurence

People given the name Laurence in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1950 to 1989. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Laurence

Sylvester Dominic Oliver Max Jay Julius

Keep exploring

Familiar but never popular

The Laurence deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Laurence truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Laurence fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

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