Laeken
A name of Old Dutch origin meaning "where the little brook is".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Laeken. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 50.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Laeken today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Laeken births was 2011 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Laeken. 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 Laeken. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2011
5 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2021 SSA rank
#13,257
Tracked since 2011
Gender
Gender distribution for Laeken
Laeken is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 10 total registrations, 5 (50.0%) were male and 5 (50.0%) were female.
Laeken as a male name
- Ranked #13,257 in 2021
- 5 male births in 2021
- Peak: 2021 (5 births)
Laeken as a female name
- Ranked #18,320 in 2011
- 5 female births in 2011
- Peak: 2011 (5 births)
Popularity
Laeken: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Laeken from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Laeken 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 Laeken during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Laeken
The name Laeken has its origins in the Dutch language and is associated with the town of Laeken, located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. The name is believed to be derived from the Frankish word "Laca," which means "stream" or "brook," referring to the small rivers and streams that flow through the area.
Laeken has a rich historical significance, with the town being mentioned in various ancient texts and chronicles dating back to the 11th century. The name appears in the 1043 charter of Hendrick I, the Holy Roman Emperor, which granted the town certain privileges and rights. Additionally, the name is found in the writings of the famous Flemish chronicler, Jacobus de Voragine, who lived in the 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Laeken is Laeken van Buren, a prominent Flemish nobleman who lived in the 12th century. He played a significant role in the Flemish resistance against the French occupation during the Middle Ages. Another notable figure was Laeken van Antwerpen (1350-1420), a renowned painter and artist who contributed to the Flemish Renaissance.
In the 16th century, Laeken van der Meer (1510-1578) was a respected theologian and scholar who played a crucial role in the Protestant Reformation in the Low Countries. His writings and teachings had a profound impact on the religious landscape of the region.
During the 17th century, Laeken van Rijn (1632-1705) was a celebrated Dutch painter, known for his intricate still-life paintings and landscapes. His works are housed in prestigious museums around the world, including the Louvre in Paris and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
In the 19th century, Laeken de Keyser (1813-1887) was a prominent Belgian politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Belgium from 1878 to 1879. He was instrumental in shaping the country's political landscape during a critical period of its history.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Laeken, reflecting its deep roots and cultural significance in the regions where it originated.
People
Laeken + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Laeken 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
Laeken: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Laeken?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Laeken 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 Laeken a common name?
We classify Laeken 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 Laeken most popular?
The single biggest year for Laeken was 2011, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Laeken is about 10 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 Laeken in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Laeken a female name?
Yes, 50.0% of people registered as Laeken in the SSA data are female. 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 Laeken still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Laeken 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 Laeken 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 Americans are named Laeken?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.