Lavaughn
A masculine name of uncertain origin but possibly meaning "lawgiver".
Name Census estimates that about 845 living Americans carry the first name Lavaughn. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 50.7% of registrations being female. The average person named Lavaughn today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lavaughn births was 1929 (52 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lavaughn. 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
- • Lavaughn was once a predominantly female name but has become increasingly popular for boys in recent decades.
- • Lavaughn sits in rare territory as a truly gender-neutral name, given to boys and girls in near-equal numbers.
People living today
845
~ 1 in 405,626 Americans
Peak year
1929
52 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,995
Tracked since 1906
Gender
Gender distribution for Lavaughn
Lavaughn is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,898 total registrations, 936 (49.3%) were male and 962 (50.7%) were female.
Lavaughn as a male name
- Ranked #11,734 in 2024
- 6 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1929 (20 births)
Lavaughn as a female name
- Ranked #7,995 in 1977
- 7 female births in 1977
- Peak: 1923 (35 births)
Popularity
Lavaughn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lavaughn from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 396 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lavaughn 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 Lavaughn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lavaughns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Iowa, Nebraska, Alabama recorded the most babies named Lavaughn, while Missouri, Minnesota, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lavaughn
The name Lavaughn has its origins in African American culture, emerging as a unique combination of the French name Lavaugue and the English name Vaughn. Its roots can be traced back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The name Lavaugue is derived from the French word "la vague," meaning "the wave," while Vaughn is an English surname rooted in the Welsh name "Vaughan," which means "small" or "diminutive." The blending of these two names resulted in the distinctive moniker, Lavaughn, reflecting the cultural amalgamation within African American communities during that era.
While there are no known historical references to the name Lavaughn in ancient texts or religious scriptures, the earliest recorded examples can be found in census data and birth records from the early 20th century. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Lavaughn Yvette Burke, born in 1934, who later became known as the actress and singer Yvette Vickers.
Another notable figure bearing the name Lavaughn was Lavaughn Hubbard (1929-2008), a pioneering African American chemist and businesswoman who held several patents and co-founded the first African American-owned and operated chemical manufacturing company in the United States.
Lavaughn Jenkins (1920-2001) was a renowned African American educator and civil rights activist who played a pivotal role in desegregating schools in Virginia and advocating for equal educational opportunities.
In the realm of sports, Lavaughn Hulon "Huggy" Mertzweiller (1932-2017) was a professional basketball player who spent several seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) during the 1950s and 1960s.
Lavaughn Henry (born 1959) is a former American professional basketball player who had a successful career in the NBA, playing for teams such as the Kansas City Kings and the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1980s.
While the name Lavaughn may not be as widely known as some other names, it carries a rich cultural significance and has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields throughout history.
People
Lavaughn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lavaughn 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
Lavaughn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lavaughn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 845 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lavaughn 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 405,626 US residents.
Is Lavaughn a common name?
We classify Lavaughn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,898 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lavaughn most popular?
The single biggest year for Lavaughn was 1929, when 52 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lavaughn is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lavaughn a female name?
Yes, 50.7% of people registered as Lavaughn 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.