# Lance (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/lance/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /læns/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 106,184 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 105,839 / 345 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 648, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

The surname is derived from a medieval given name Lanzo, short form of names beginning with the Germanic element *land; see land. Doublet of Lanzo.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 11 | 5,765 |
| 1979 | 22 | 3,604 |
| 1980 | 15 | 4,854 |
| 1981 | 11 | 6,109 |
| 1982 | 14 | 5,075 |
| 1983 | 11 | 6,015 |
| 1984 | 15 | 4,861 |
| 1985 | 8 | 7,953 |
| 1986 | 11 | 6,384 |
| 1987 | 11 | 6,555 |
| 1988 | 10 | 7,435 |
| 1989 | 15 | 5,693 |
| 1990 | 5 | 14,186 |
| 1991 | 7 | 10,911 |
| 2004 | 5 | 17,616 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 575 | 468 |
| 2012 | 541 | 494 |
| 2013 | 459 | 568 |
| 2014 | 512 | 541 |
| 2015 | 454 | 604 |
| 2016 | 438 | 617 |
| 2017 | 409 | 636 |
| 2018 | 394 | 651 |
| 2019 | 398 | 664 |
| 2020 | 315 | 765 |
| 2021 | 305 | 804 |
| 2022 | 320 | 788 |
| 2023 | 302 | 814 |
| 2024 | 291 | 840 |
| 2025 | 279 | 862 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 25 | 1,045 |
| 2012 | 26 | 1,051 |
| 2013 | 18 | 1,339 |
| 2014 | 23 | 1,144 |
| 2015 | 17 | 1,442 |
| 2016 | 21 | 1,271 |
| 2017 | 14 | 1,703 |
| 2018 | 15 | 1,610 |
| 2019 | 14 | 1,655 |
| 2020 | 20 | 1,273 |
| 2021 | 14 | 1,688 |
| 2022 | 18 | 1,420 |
| 2023 | 17 | 1,461 |
| 2024 | 16 | 1,595 |
| 2025 | 12 | 2,014 |

## People named Lance

- Lance Armstrong, cyclist from the United States
- Lance Stroll, Canadian and Belgian racing driver
- Lance Henriksen, American actor
- Lance Reddick, American actor (1962–2023)
- Lance Bass, American singer, dancer, actor, and film and television producer
- Lance Stephenson, American basketball player (born 1990)
- Lance Barber, American actor
- Lance Macklin, British racing driver
- Lance Hoyt, American professional wrestler
- Lance Cade, American professional wrestler (1980-2010)
- Lance Storm, Canadian professional wrestler
- Lance Larson, American swimmer

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.