FastNamesLauren
Latin, French and English name meaning "Feminine and masculine derivative of Laurence, from Latin Laurentius, meaning 'of Laurentum' or 'crowned with laurel leaves' (symbol of honor and victory).". Ranked 401st for girls in 2025.
Meaning and origin of Lauren
Feminine and masculine derivative of Laurence, from Latin Laurentius, meaning 'of Laurentum' or 'crowned with laurel leaves' (symbol of honor and victory).
Linguistically, Lauren is classified under Latin, French and English naming traditions. It is typically pronounced "LAWR-uhn".
Popularity and ranking
In official US Social Security birth records from 1880 through 2025, Lauren has been given to a total of 475,577 girls. It has also been given to 5,818 boys.
Peak year: Lauren reached its highest relative share among girls in 1989, when 21,065 babies received the name (11,426 per million births).
All-time best rank: 9th place, first achieved in 1989.
Recent standing (2025): Ranked 401st with 777 births. Ten years earlier in 2015, it ranked 119th (down 282 spots).
Busiest decade: More girls were named Lauren in the 1990s than in any other decade (153,590 births).
| Decade | Recorded births |
|---|---|
| 1920s | 6 |
| 1930s | 16 |
| 1940s | 2,180 |
| 1950s | 8,471 |
| 1960s | 12,466 |
| 1970s | 21,827 |
| 1980s | 145,161 |
| 1990s | 153,590 |
| 2000s | 97,162 |
| 2010s | 28,905 |
| 2020s | 5,793 |
Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
Where Lauren is most common in the US
Accounting for when Lauren was in fashion nationally, it has been most heavily concentrated in the following states (measured against the expected rate from each state's births):
- Delaware: 1.8 times the national rate (1,831 births since 1910).
- Rhode Island: 1.6 times the national rate (2,224 births since 1910).
- New Jersey: 1.6 times the national rate (20,514 births since 1910).
- District of Columbia: 1.6 times the national rate (2,304 births since 1910).
- Connecticut: 1.5 times the national rate (7,725 births since 1910).
Source: Social Security Administration, baby names by state, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a state in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
How many people have the name Lauren?
About 463,000 living American girls and women share the name Lauren. Additionally, an estimated 3,400 living American boys and men share the name.
The median age of an American named Lauren is 34 years old.
Estimated from Social Security Administration records (1880–2025) and official SSA cohort mortality tables.
History of the name Lauren
Lauren evolved as an English variant of Laurence (from Latin Laurentius, designating an inhabitant of Laurentum, an ancient maritime city in Latium famed for its dense groves of bay laurel trees, Latin laurus). In the classical Roman world, laurel leaves were woven into crowns of victory to honor victorious generals, poets, and Olympic champions, imparting to the root the symbolic significance of honor, triumph, and distinguished accomplishment.
While historically recorded as a masculine variant of Laurence in Scotland and northern England, Lauren was transformed into an iconic feminine name in mid-twentieth-century America. A decisive cultural watershed occurred in 1944 when legendary Golden Age Hollywood actress Betty Joan Perske adopted the stage name Lauren Bacall for her film debut in To Have and Have Not alongside Humphrey Bogart. Her smoky elegance, sharp wit, and glamorous screen presence popularized Lauren as the epitome of sophisticated modern femininity.
In American demographic records, Lauren expanded dramatically through the 1970s and 1980s, becoming one of the most popular female names in the United States. It breached the national top twenty-five in 1980 and remained within the national top twenty-five for twenty-six consecutive years through 2006, peaking at rank 9 in 1989 with over 20,000 newborn girls per year. Celebrated for its polished symmetry, tailored sound, and timeless elegance, Lauren remains an indelible classic of American naming.
Notable people named Lauren
- Lauren Bacall (1924–2014), American Academy Award-nominated actress and Golden Age film icon
- Lauren Graham (1967–), American actress and author known for Gilmore Girls
- Lauren Jackson (1981–), Australian Hall of Fame basketball player and three-time WNBA MVP
- Lauren Cohan (1982–), British-American actress known for The Walking Dead
Variants and related names
Spelling variants
Diminutives and nicknames
Related names
Sources and references
- E. G. Withycombe. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names (1977), p. 191.
- Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names (2006), p. 165.