Lawrence
Meaning
means 'from Laurentum', an ancient Italian city; associated with the laurel tree
Name day: August 10 in the Roman calendar of saints (Saint Lawrence of Rome).
The story
Lawrence began as Laurentius, a Roman name meaning from Laurentum, an ancient city south of Rome, and it has carried the shine of the laurel, the victor's leaf, by long association. Its great bearer is Lawrence the deacon, the third-century martyr remembered in the old stories for his unshakable composure at his execution, one of the most venerated saints of the early church. In America the name worked at a steady, solid level through the first half of the twentieth century, a run that owed much to the era's affection for Larry, its rolled-up-sleeves nickname. The line has drifted gently downward since, though never far, and the full Lawrence still reads today exactly as it long has: an old Roman name with a laurel branch in one hand and a lunch pail in the other, formal and friendly at once.
Lawrence around the world
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
More branches
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Lawrence peaked in the 1910s and the 1950s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
408 people · the #15,381 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 500,000 · median age 40
Among people named Lawrence living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Lawrence
People given the name Lawrence 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.
The Lawrence deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Lawrence 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 Lawrence fits with your family’s names and surname.
Keep exploring
Nicknames for Lawrence · Saint names for babies and confirmation
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