Lorelei
Lorelei was the 441st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 699 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 9 places. More babies were named Lorelei in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning name of a rock on the Rhine · German
Say it LOR-uh-ly /ˈlɔrəlaɪ/
- Rank in 2025
- #441 girls, up 63 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 699girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2016716 babies
- Total since 1880
- 18,189babies recorded
What does the name Lorelei mean?
Lorelei is the name of a steep rock on the Rhine in Germany. Wiktionary glosses the German name as "murmuring rock" or "lurking rock", and Dictionary.com notes it as a variant of Lurlei, a cliff thought to be the home of a nymph. The legend of a siren who lured boatmen to their deaths there was popularized by the poets Brentano and Heine in the early 19th century. It is not used as a given name in Germany.
Lorelei (German, “rock on the Rhine”)
How sure is this? Probable. The 'rock' part is agreed; the first part is explained as 'murmuring' or 'lurking'.
Related names: Lorelai, Lora, Lori.
See also: Germanic names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Lorelei', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Lorelei', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Nicknames for Lorelei
The usual nicknames for Lorelei are Lori and Lola. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Lorelei in the last five years, 171 were named Lola, against 214 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lori · also for Laura, Lorelai, Loretta | Modern | #1,726 | 709 |
| Lola · also for Lorelai, Dolores | Modern | #275 | 5,881 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Loreleis go by each one.
Lorelei popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #441 | 699 |
| 2020 | #504 | 601 |
| 2010 | #535 | 548 |
| 2000 | #2,447 | 63 |
| 1990 | #2,832 | 41 |
| 1980 | #1,995 | 53 |
| 1970 | #1,399 | 75 |
| 1960 | #1,004 | 115 |
| 1950 | #1,016 | 81 |
| 1940 | #951 | 58 |
| 1930 | #1,515 | 27 |
| 1920 | #5,426 | 5 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Lorelei, counting every spelling?
Lorelei has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #456 for girls in 2025, against #441 on the official list, because Jazlyn/Jazlynn/Jazzlyn and Gracelynn/Gracelyn/Gracelynne and Reign/Rayne/Rain move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Lorelei?
699 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lorelei (0.19 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Lorelei 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 12 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Lorelei.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Lorelei?
About 17,000 people born in the US named Lorelei are alive today, with a median age of 13; half are between 7 and 23. That makes Lorelei mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Lorelei by state
How common Lorelei was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Nebraska (2.4×), West Virginia (2.2×), Missouri (2.2×), Wisconsin (2.0×), Iowa (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, Utah, California.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Lorelei: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lorelei, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Lorelei · Sibling names for Lorelei
Questions about the name Lorelei
What does Lorelei mean?
Lorelei means “name of a rock on the Rhine” (German origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Lorelei?
Lorelei was the 441st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 699 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 9 places. More babies were named Lorelei in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Lorelei a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Lorelei in the US.
Where is Lorelei most popular?
In 2021–2025, Lorelei was most common in Nebraska (1.03 per 1,000 girls), followed by West Virginia and Missouri.