Lacen
A diminutive form of the Latin name Lacerta, meaning "lizard".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Lacen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lacen today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lacen births was 2010 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lacen. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Lacen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2010
5 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2019 SSA rank
#13,286
Tracked since 2010
Popularity
Lacen: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Lacen by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Lacen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Lacen
The given name Lacen has its origins in ancient Celtic cultures, particularly among the Britons and Gaels who inhabited the British Isles during the Iron Age and early medieval period. The name is believed to be derived from the Proto-Celtic root *lak, meaning "to play" or "to move rapidly," suggesting a connection to concepts of agility, swiftness, or playfulness.
Despite its early Celtic origins, the name Lacen does not appear to have been widely documented in ancient texts or historical records from that era. The earliest known references to the name date back to the Middle Ages, when it was occasionally used among certain noble families in Wales and parts of Scotland.
One of the first recorded individuals to bear the name Lacen was a Welsh nobleman named Lacen ap Rhys (born around 1150), who was a member of the influential Dinefwr dynasty. He played a minor role in the conflicts between the Welsh princes and the Norman invaders during the late 12th century.
Another notable figure was Lacen of Argyll (c. 1220 - 1295), a Scottish knight and landowner who was a loyal supporter of King Alexander III of Scotland. He participated in several military campaigns against the Norse rulers of the Western Isles and was later granted lands in the region of Argyll for his service.
In the 14th century, a French poet and troubadour known as Lacen de Marseille (c. 1310 - 1380) gained recognition for his lyrical compositions and his contributions to the development of Occitan literature. His works often celebrated themes of love, chivalry, and courtly life.
During the Renaissance period, a Italian artist named Lacen Beccafumi (1486 - 1551) achieved fame for his paintings and frescoes, many of which adorned churches and public buildings in his native Siena. He was particularly renowned for his innovative use of perspective and his skillful depictions of human anatomy.
In more recent times, one of the most prominent individuals to bear the name Lacen was the Scottish explorer and naturalist Lacen MacLeod (1828 - 1892). He embarked on numerous expeditions to remote regions of the world, including the Arctic and the Pacific Islands, and made significant contributions to the fields of geography, ethnography, and natural history.
While the name Lacen has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, these individuals and others have helped to preserve its legacy and cultural significance across various regions and time periods.
People
Lacen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lacen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lacen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lacen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lacen going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Lacen a common name?
We classify Lacen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lacen most popular?
The single biggest year for Lacen was 2010, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lacen is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Lacen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lacen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lacen in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Lacen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lacen in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Lacen can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Lacen?
Want to know how many people share the name Lacen? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.