Laurence

Meaning: Of Laurentum
Origin: Latin — From Laurentius, Laurentum was an ancient Italian town, perhaps named for laurel trees

Nicknames: Larry, Laurie, Lanny

Boy's name · #1747 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

Few names move less than Laurence — on the books since 1880, #1747 in 2025, and dependable in between. Roughly 40,000 boys have carried the name since. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Laurence is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 7 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Laurence ranks in other countries and regions.

#401 in England & Wales (2025) · #560 in Scotland (2025) · #1,083 in Canada (2025) · #1,575 in Austria (2025) · #2,319 in Switzerland (2025) · #582 in Ireland (2024) · #972 in Sweden (2024) · #7,067 in Ecuador (2022) · #346 in N. Ireland (2014) · #339 in New Zealand (1998) · #713 in Belgium (1998) · #1,658 in France (1970) and 2 more.

Famous Laurences

Laurence Olivier — English actor and director (1907–1989)
Laurence Sterne — Anglo-Irish writer and cleric (1713–1768)
Laurence Fishburne — American actor (born 1961)
Laurence Harvey — Lithuanian-British actor (1928–1973)
Laurence J. Peter — Canadian educator (1919–1990)
Laurence Doherty — English tennis player (1875–1919)

In stories & tradition

Laurence Blood^ja — Fatal Fury 2 (video game)

What Laurences become

Among 1,505 notable people named Laurence:

Political leaders appear 1.29× more often than among typical names — e.g. Laurence Oliphant, British author, traveller, diplomat and Christian mystic (1829–1888).

Spellings & nicknames

About 230 boys a year are given Larry as their full name.

Similar names: Lawrence · Sylvester · Langston · Clarence · Ulysses · Terrence

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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