Lashawn
A masculine name of French origin, representing a combination of "le" and "Shawn".
Name Census estimates that about 9,811 living Americans carry the first name Lashawn. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 69.2% of registrations being female. The average person named Lashawn today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lashawn births was 1971 (547 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lashawn. 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
- • Lashawn was once a predominantly female name but has become increasingly popular for boys in recent decades.
People living today
9.8K
~ 1 in 34,936 Americans
Peak year
1971
547 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,550
Tracked since 1955
Gender
Gender distribution for Lashawn
Lashawn is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 10,613 total registrations, 3,266 (30.8%) were male and 7,347 (69.2%) were female.
Lashawn as a male name
- Ranked #5,550 in 2024
- 17 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1977 (105 births)
Lashawn as a female name
- Ranked #12,875 in 2020
- 7 female births in 2020
- Peak: 1970 (494 births)
Popularity
Lashawn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lashawn from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 4,337 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lashawn 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 Lashawn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lashawns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 26 states and territories. New York, Illinois, California recorded the most babies named Lashawn, while Wisconsin, Washington, Oklahoma recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 276 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lashawn
The name Lashawn has its origins in African American culture and is a combination of the French name LaSalle and the English name Shawn. It emerged as a popular name for African American boys in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s.
The first part of the name, "La," is derived from the French word "la," meaning "the." The second part, "Shawn," is an English name of Irish origin, derived from the name Seán, which is the Irish form of the name John. The combination of these two elements creates a unique and distinct name with a blend of cultural influences.
While the name Lashawn does not have a long historical record, it has gained popularity in recent decades among African American families seeking a name that reflects their cultural heritage and identity. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in birth records and census data from the late 20th century.
One of the earliest and most notable individuals to bear the name Lashawn was Lashawn Merritt, an American track and field athlete born in 1986. He is a former Olympic champion and world record holder in the 400-meter dash. Another prominent figure with the name Lashawn is Lashawn Daniels, an American songwriter and record producer born in 1973, known for his work with various R&B and pop artists.
Other notable individuals named Lashawn include Lashawn Arrington, an American former professional basketball player born in 1971, and Lashawn Merritt, an American sprinter and Olympic gold medalist born in 1986. Additionally, Lashawn Tinae Jefferies, an American former professional basketball player born in 1977, also carried this name.
While the name Lashawn does not have a long historical record compared to some older names, it has gained significance and recognition within African American culture, reflecting the rich diversity and creativity in naming practices among various communities.
People
Lashawn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lashawn 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
Lashawn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lashawn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9,811 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lashawn 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 34,936 US residents.
Is Lashawn a common name?
We classify Lashawn as "Rare". It ranks above 97.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10,613 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lashawn most popular?
The single biggest year for Lashawn was 1971, when 547 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lashawn is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lashawn a female name?
Yes, 69.2% of people registered as Lashawn 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.
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.