# Laurence (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/laurence/  
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 | Latin |
| Meaning | “a person from laurentum”, “laurel” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈlɔɹəns/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Larry, Laurie, Loz, Lanny |
| Variant spellings | Lawrence, Lauren |
| US babies named this | 40,215 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 39,720 / 495 (1% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 3,493, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From the name of a third century Roman martyr, Latin Laurentius, "a person from Laurentum", the place name possibly derived from laurus (“laurel”).

## What it means

Laurence is grouped under laurel.

## 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 5 | 12,348 |
| 1988 | 8 | 8,839 |
| 1989 | 7 | 10,340 |
| 1990 | 11 | 7,626 |
| 1996 | 5 | 14,794 |
| 1997 | 6 | 13,024 |
| 2000 | 6 | 14,186 |
| 2002 | 5 | 16,971 |
| 2006 | 5 | 18,816 |
| 2018 | 6 | 14,865 |
| 2019 | 5 | 16,946 |
| 2020 | 7 | 12,890 |
| 2021 | 5 | 16,640 |
| 2022 | 5 | 16,657 |
| 2025 | 5 | 16,263 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 48 | 2,572 |
| 2012 | 51 | 2,470 |
| 2013 | 45 | 2,648 |
| 2014 | 59 | 2,264 |
| 2015 | 60 | 2,249 |
| 2016 | 56 | 2,355 |
| 2017 | 72 | 1,991 |
| 2018 | 61 | 2,250 |
| 2019 | 61 | 2,278 |
| 2020 | 72 | 1,990 |
| 2021 | 62 | 2,265 |
| 2022 | 54 | 2,543 |
| 2023 | 68 | 2,140 |
| 2024 | 67 | 2,182 |
| 2025 | 93 | 1,747 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 102 | 388 |
| 2012 | 106 | 393 |
| 2013 | 109 | 373 |
| 2014 | 116 | 359 |
| 2015 | 115 | 379 |
| 2016 | 102 | 412 |
| 2017 | 121 | 377 |
| 2018 | 102 | 414 |
| 2019 | 90 | 449 |
| 2020 | 99 | 410 |
| 2021 | 102 | 416 |
| 2022 | 77 | 509 |
| 2023 | 99 | 403 |
| 2024 | 106 | 389 |
| 2025 | 101 | 401 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: لورانس
- Armenian: Լորիս
- Catalan: Llorenç
- Chinese: 勞倫斯 /劳伦斯, 老楞佐
- Czech: Vavřinec
- Danish: Lars
- Dutch: Laurens
- Esperanto: Laŭrenco
- Estonian: Lauri
- Finnish: Lauri
- French: Laurent
- German: Lorenz
- Greek: Λαυρέντιος
- Hungarian: Lőrinc
- Icelandic: Lárus
- Irish: Labhrás
- Italian: Lorenzo
- Japanese: ロレンス, ローラン
- Latin: Laurentius
- Latvian: Lauris

## People named Laurence

- Laurence Olivier, English actor and director (1907–1989)
- Laurence Sterne, Anglo-Irish novelist and Anglican cleric (1713–1768)
- Laurence Fishburne, American actor
- Richard Laurence Millington Synge, British biochemist (1914–1994)
- Laurence J. Peter, Canadian educator (1919–1990)
- Paul Laurence Dunbar, American poet, novelist, and short story writer (1872–1906)
- Laurence Doherty, English tennis player (1875-1919)
- Laurence Fox, British actor and activist (born 1978)
- Laurence Oliphant, British author, traveller, diplomat and Christian mystic (1829-1888)
- Laurence Stoddard, American coxswain (1903-1997)
- Laurence Rees, British historian
- Laurence Fournier Beaudry, Canadian ice dancer

## 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.