Lauren
Lauren was the 401st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 777 babies. Its best year was 1989, when it ranked 9th with 21,065 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 282 places. More babies were named Lauren in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning laurel (from Laurence) · Latin
Say it LOR-in /ˈlɔrən/
- Rank in 2025
- #401 girls, down 169 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 777girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 198921,065 babies
- Total since 1880
- 481,395babies recorded
What does the name Lauren mean?
Lauren comes from the Latin name Laurentius, the source of Lawrence. DMNES derives Laurentius from laurus, "laurel, bay tree", and lists the 3rd-century martyr Saint Lawrence. Lauren was used as a male name and surname before it became a girl's name in the mid-20th century; the actress Lauren Bacall, popular from the 1940s, is often credited with its spread for girls.
Laurentius (Latin, “Roman name, linked with laurus”)laurus (Latin, “laurel, bay tree”)
How sure is this? Probable. Laurentius may also mean 'from Laurentum'; DMNES gives the laurel derivation.
Related names: Laura, Lorena, Lawrence, Loren, Lauryn.
See also: Latin names, names that mean tree.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Lauren', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Laurence', DMNES, Durham University
Nicknames for Lauren
The usual nicknames for Lauren are Laurie and Lo. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Lauren in the last five years, 6 were named Laurie, against fewer than 1 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laurie · also for Laura, Lawrence, Laurel | Traditional | #2,842 | 253 |
| Lo | Modern | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Laurens go by each one.
Lauren popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 5,818 since 1884.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #401 | 777 |
| 2020 | #232 | 1,278 |
| 2010 | #58 | 4,466 |
| 2000 | #11 | 14,176 |
| 1990 | #10 | 20,506 |
| 1980 | #38 | 7,476 |
| 1970 | #241 | 1,308 |
| 1960 | #239 | 1,335 |
| 1950 | #393 | 425 |
| 1940 | #3,094 | 9 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Lauren, counting every spelling?
Lauren is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #343 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #401 for Lauren on its own. Together these spellings went to 962 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lauren | 777 | #401 | 4,515 |
| Lauryn | 148 | #1,455 | 1,190 |
| Lorene | 17 | #6,715 | 94 |
| Laurynn | — | — | 46 |
| Lorin | 10 | #9,839 | 44 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Lauren?
777 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lauren (0.22 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Lauren born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Lauren.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Lauren?
About 461,300 people born in the US named Lauren are alive today, with a median age of 34; half are between 25 and 40. That makes Lauren mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Lauren by state
How common Lauren was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in North Dakota (4.2×), Nebraska (3.0×), Mississippi (2.7×), South Dakota (2.5×), Iowa (2.3×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in West Virginia, New Mexico, New Hampshire.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Lauren: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lauren, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Lauren · Sibling names for Lauren
Questions about the name Lauren
What does Lauren mean?
Lauren means “laurel (from Laurence)” (Latin origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Lauren?
Lauren was the 401st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 777 babies. Its best year was 1989, when it ranked 9th with 21,065 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 282 places. More babies were named Lauren in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Lauren a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Lauren in the US.
Where is Lauren most popular?
In 2021–2025, Lauren was most common in North Dakota (2.36 per 1,000 girls), followed by Nebraska and Alaska.