Lavall
An Old French masculine name likely derived from the French root word "val" meaning valley.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Lavall. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lavall today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lavall births was 1984 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lavall. 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 Lavall. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1984
5 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
1984 SSA rank
#6,919
Tracked since 1984
Popularity
Lavall: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Lavall 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 Lavall during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Lavall
The name Lavall finds its origins in the ancient Celtic languages spoken by the Britons and Gaels. It is derived from the Proto-Celtic root *lāwā, meaning "to strike" or "to slay." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with warriors or those who excelled in battle.
In the early medieval period, the name was recorded in various forms such as Lāvaill, Lāvell, and Lāvall among the Britons of what is now Wales and southwestern England. It is believed that the name was brought to other parts of the British Isles by the Celtic migrations that occurred during the centuries following the Roman withdrawal from Britain.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Lavall ap Rhys, a Welsh nobleman who lived in the late 12th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of Lord Rhys ap Gruffydd, the ruler of the Kingdom of Deheubarth in south-west Wales.
In the 13th century, a Scottish knight named Lavall de Brechin was a close companion of King Alexander II of Scotland. He was granted lands in Angus and is mentioned in several contemporary chronicles for his exploits in the Scottish Wars of Independence against England.
During the Tudor period in England, a courtier named Lavall Paget served as a gentleman of the privy chamber to King Henry VIII. He was also a member of the House of Commons and is known to have participated in the English Reformation under Edward VI.
In the 17th century, an Irish soldier named Lavall O'Donnell fought alongside the Catholic Confederates during the Irish Confederate Wars against the English Parliamentary forces. He was noted for his bravery and leadership at the Battle of Benburb in 1646.
Another notable bearer of the name was Lavall de Montmorency, a French nobleman and military leader who served as a Marshal of France under King Louis XIV. He distinguished himself in various campaigns during the Franco-Dutch War and the Nine Years' War in the late 17th century.
People
Lavall + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lavall 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
Lavall: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lavall?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lavall 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 Lavall a common name?
We classify Lavall 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 Lavall most popular?
The single biggest year for Lavall was 1984, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lavall is about 40 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 Lavall in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lavall a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lavall 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 Lavall still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lavall 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 Lavall 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 have Lavall as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.