Lavender
Of Latin origin, meaning "from the herb or flower lavender".
Name Census estimates that about 2,074 living Americans carry the first name Lavender. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lavender today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lavender births was 2024 (258 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lavender. 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
- • Lavender is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 11 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
2.1K
~ 1 in 165,262 Americans
Peak year
2024
258 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#998
Tracked since 1962
Popularity
Lavender: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lavender from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 960 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lavender 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 Lavender during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lavenders live
The SSA's state-level files cover 29 states and territories. California, Texas, Ohio recorded the most babies named Lavender, while Alabama, Louisiana, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 34 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lavender
The name Lavender has its roots in the Latin word "lavandula" which refers to the aromatic flowering plant of the same name. It is derived from the Latin verb "lavare" meaning "to wash" as the flowers were historically used in bathing and perfuming.
The name gained popularity during the Middle Ages in parts of Europe where the lavender plant was cultivated. It was first used as a given name in the 12th century, with the earliest known record being a female named Lavender de Fougeray from Normandy, France in 1165.
In medieval England, the name was occasionally bestowed upon girls, particularly in families associated with the cultivation or trade of lavender. One notable figure was Lavender Horne, a 14th-century landowner and lavender farmer from Hertfordshire, England.
The name was relatively uncommon until the Victorian era when it experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly among the upper classes who favored floral names. One of the earliest notable bearers of this name during this period was Lavender Lamb, an English poet born in 1835.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the name continued to be used sporadically in various parts of Europe and North America. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Lavender Jones, an American suffragist and activist for women's rights, born in 1867.
In more recent times, the name Lavender has been associated with the LGBTQ+ community, as the lavender color has been adopted as a symbol of queer pride and identity. One notable figure is Lavender Rayne, an American drag queen and LGBTQ+ rights advocate born in 1975.
While not a common name today, Lavender has maintained a niche appeal due to its association with nature, fragrance, and its unique sound. It continues to be used as a given name, particularly in parts of Europe and North America.
People
Lavender + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lavender 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
Lavender: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lavender?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,074 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lavender 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 165,262 US residents.
Is Lavender a common name?
We classify Lavender as "Rare". It ranks above 93.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,098 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lavender most popular?
The single biggest year for Lavender was 2024, when 258 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lavender is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lavender a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lavender 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.