Lorelei
Meaning
from the Rhine rock and legendary siren, traditionally "murmuring rock"
The story
Lorelei is the siren of the Rhine, the murmuring rock where the legend says a golden-haired singer pulled sailors off their course, and its American record has two distinct lives. The first crested at about 1,270 in the 1950s, the decade a diamond-loving showgirl named Lorelei Lee sang her way through the era's most famous musical; the record shows the timing, and timing is all a record can show. Then the long quiet, down to about 380 in the 1990s, and the second life: about 2,900 in the 2000s, cresting at 6,400 in the 2010s, with 4,000 so far this decade. It goes to girls without exception: about 18,200 to none. Lorelai, the television spelling, carries its own story here at about 10,300. One legend, two spellings, two American lives: the rock keeps murmuring.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Lorelei peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
102 people · the #40,709 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 1,000,000 · median age 56
Among people named Lorelei living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Lorelei
Most people given the name Lorelei in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Lorelei deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Lorelei 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 Lorelei fits with your family’s names and surname.
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