Lancelot
A masculine name of Breton origin meaning "servant" or "vassal".
Name Census estimates that about 552 living Americans carry the first name Lancelot. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lancelot today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lancelot births was 1984 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lancelot. 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.
People living today
552
~ 1 in 620,932 Americans
Peak year
1984
18 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,452
Tracked since 1908
Popularity
Lancelot: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lancelot from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 115 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lancelot 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 Lancelot during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lancelots live
Origin
Meaning and history of Lancelot
The name Lancelot originated in Britain and has its roots in the Brittonic language, a Celtic language that was once spoken in parts of Great Britain. It is believed to be derived from the elements "lans" meaning "servant" or "follower" and "hlot" meaning "lot" or "share." Thus, the name Lancelot can be interpreted to mean something along the lines of "servant" or "follower of the lot."
The name gained significant prominence and popularity due to its association with the legendary figure of Sir Lancelot, one of the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian legends. These stories, which date back to the 12th century, depict Lancelot as the bravest and most skilled of King Arthur's knights, as well as the lover of Queen Guinevere. The name has been immortalized through these literary works, such as the French romance "Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart" by Chrétien de Troyes, written around 1180.
One of the earliest recorded individuals to bear the name Lancelot was Lancelot Patrice (born around 1150), a Breton knight and literary figure who is believed to have inspired aspects of the Arthurian tales. Another notable bearer of the name was Lancelot Blackburne (1658-1743), an English churchman and academic who served as Archbishop of York.
Throughout history, the name Lancelot has been borne by several notable individuals, including:
1. Lancelot "Capability" Brown (1716-1783), an English landscape architect renowned for his innovative garden designs.
2. Lancelot Addison (1632-1703), an English clergyman and author who wrote works on religious philosophy.
3. Lancelot Andrewes (1555-1626), an English bishop and scholar who played a significant role in the translation of the King James Bible.
4. Lancelot Blondeel (1619-1693), a Flemish Baroque painter known for his religious works and portraits.
5. Lancelot Hogben (1904-1975), a British mathematician, writer, and humanitarian who made significant contributions to the popularization of science.
The enduring popularity of the Arthurian legends, along with the name's unique and romantic connotations, has ensured that Lancelot has remained a beloved and recognizable name throughout the centuries, albeit with varying levels of usage over time.
People
Lancelot + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lancelot 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
Lancelot: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lancelot?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 552 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lancelot 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 620,932 US residents.
Is Lancelot a common name?
We classify Lancelot as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 625 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lancelot most popular?
The single biggest year for Lancelot was 1984, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lancelot is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lancelot a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lancelot 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.
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.