Lamontray
An unusual masculine name of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Lamontray. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lamontray today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lamontray births was 1997 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lamontray. 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 Lamontray. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1997
5 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
1997 SSA rank
#10,159
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Lamontray: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Lamontray 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 Lamontray during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Lamontray
The name Lamontray has its origins in the ancient Gallic language spoken by Celtic tribes that inhabited modern-day France and parts of Switzerland, Belgium, and northern Italy during the Iron Age. It is derived from the Gaulish words "lam," meaning "hand," and "tray," meaning "power" or "strength." The combination of these roots suggests that Lamontray was initially bestowed upon individuals who possessed exceptional physical prowess or martial skills.
In the 1st century BCE, the Roman historian Pliny the Elder documented the existence of a Gallic chieftain named Lamontrayus, who led a rebellion against the invading Roman legions. Although the uprising was eventually quelled, Lamontrayus became renowned for his bravery and unwavering resistance, earning him a place in the annals of Gaulish history.
During the Middle Ages, the name Lamontray gained popularity among the nobility of the Frankish kingdom, which encompassed much of what is now modern-day France. One notable bearer of this name was Lamontray de Montfort, a 12th-century knight who fought alongside King Richard the Lionheart during the Third Crusade. De Montfort's exploits were immortalized in the epic poem "The Siege of Acre," where he is lauded for his valor and skill on the battlefield.
In the 16th century, a French explorer named Lamontray Cartier is credited with being one of the first Europeans to explore the St. Lawrence River and the Gulf of St. Lawrence in present-day eastern Canada. His expeditions paved the way for the establishment of the French colonial empire in North America.
Another prominent figure named Lamontray was the 17th-century French philosopher and mathematician Lamontray Descartes, whose groundbreaking work in the fields of metaphysics, epistemology, and mathematics earned him the title of "Father of Modern Philosophy." His philosophical treatise "Meditations on First Philosophy" is considered a seminal work in Western thought.
In more recent times, the name Lamontray has been less common, although it has been borne by a few notable individuals, such as Lamontray Johnson, an American baseball player who played for the Chicago White Sox in the 1920s, and Lamontray Wilkins, a British actor who appeared in several television series and films in the latter half of the 20th century.
People
Lamontray + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lamontray 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
Lamontray: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lamontray?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lamontray 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Lamontray a common name?
We classify Lamontray as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lamontray most popular?
The single biggest year for Lamontray was 1997, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lamontray is about 28 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 Lamontray in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lamontray a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lamontray 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 Lamontray still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lamontray 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 Lamontray 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 Lamontray?
Want to know how many people share the name Lamontray? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.