Lawerence
A masculine name of English origin meaning "laurel plant crowned" or "from Laurentum".
Name Census estimates that about 2,236 living Americans carry the first name Lawerence. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lawerence today is around 67 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lawerence births was 1949 (125 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lawerence. 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
- • The typical person named Lawerence is about 67 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Lawerences were born before 1969.
People living today
2.2K
~ 1 in 153,289 Americans
Peak year
1949
125 babies that year
Average age
67
years old
2015 SSA rank
#13,234
Tracked since 1881
Census
Lawerence in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,024 people with the first name Lawerence, which placed it at #7,512 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#7,512
National first-name rank
People counted
2.0K
2,024 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
58.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lawerence
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lawerence is White at 58.0%. The next largest groups are Black (30.6%) and Hispanic (4.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Lawerence described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Lawerence at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.0% · 1,174
- Black or African American30.6% · 620
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 98
- Two or more races2.6% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 36
Popularity
Lawerence: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lawerence from the 1880s through to the 2010s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 957 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lawerence 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 Lawerence during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lawerences live
The SSA's state-level files cover 23 states and territories. Illinois, California, Michigan recorded the most babies named Lawerence, while Kansas, Washington, Minnesota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 55 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lawerence
The name Lawerence has its origins in the Latin name Laurentius, which is derived from the Roman family name Laurentius. The name Laurentius itself comes from the Latin word 'laurus', meaning 'laurel'. The laurel was a plant that was associated with victory and honor in ancient Rome, and it was commonly used to create wreaths that were placed on the heads of victorious leaders and athletes.
The name Lawerence first appeared in historical records in the 3rd century CE, when it was borne by St. Lawrence, who was a Christian deacon and martyr in Rome. According to legend, St. Lawrence was burned alive on a gridiron during the persecution of Christians by the Roman emperor Valerian in 258 CE. His martyrdom and unwavering faith made him a revered figure in the Christian tradition, and the name Lawerence became closely associated with him.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Lawerence is found in the Venerable Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, written in the 8th century CE. Bede mentions a man named Laurentius who was a companion of St. Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury. This suggests that the name had already spread to Britain by this time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Lawerence. One of the most famous was Laurence of Arabia (1888-1935), a British archaeologist, military officer, and writer who played a significant role in the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War I. His exploits were later immortalized in the film "Lawrence of Arabia".
Another well-known Lawerence was Laurence Olivier (1907-1989), a renowned English actor and director who was widely regarded as one of the greatest performers of the 20th century. He received numerous accolades, including a knighthood and a peerage, for his contributions to the arts.
In the field of literature, Laurence Sterne (1713-1768) was an Irish novelist and Anglican clergyman who is best known for his satirical novel "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman". His innovative and unconventional writing style influenced many subsequent authors.
The name Lawerence has also been borne by several religious figures, including St. Laurence O'Toole (1128-1180), who was the Archbishop of Dublin and is the patron saint of the city. Another notable bearer was Laurence Humphrey (1527-1590), an English Protestant theologian and Puritan reformer who played a significant role in the development of the Church of England.
Despite its long and illustrious history, the name Lawerence has become less common in recent times, though it still retains a sense of distinction and tradition.
People
Lawerence + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lawerence 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
Lawerence: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lawerence?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,236 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lawerence 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 153,289 US residents.
Is Lawerence a common name?
We classify Lawerence as "Rare". It ranks above 94.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,818 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lawerence most popular?
The single biggest year for Lawerence was 1949, when 125 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lawerence is about 67 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lawerence in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,024 people with the name Lawerence, or 0.67 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,512 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Lawerence in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Lawerence?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lawerence appears almost entirely male. Of the 2,018 people counted with this name, 99.2% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Lawerence?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lawerence is White at 58.0%. The next largest groups are Black (30.6%) and Hispanic (4.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Lawerence most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Lawerence in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.0% (1,174 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Lawerence in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lawerence a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lawerence 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 Lawerence still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lawerence 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 Lawerence 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.
How many people share the name Lawerence?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.