Lawyer
One engaged in the profession of conducting lawsuits or giving legal advice.
Name Census estimates that about 319 living Americans carry the first name Lawyer. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lawyer today is around 65 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lawyer births was 1930 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lawyer. 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.
People living today
319
~ 1 in 1,074,465 Americans
Peak year
1930
31 babies that year
Average age
65
years old
2021 SSA rank
#10,344
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Lawyer: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lawyer from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 174 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lawyer 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 Lawyer during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lawyers live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Lawyer, while Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 23 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lawyer
The given name Lawyer is an occupational name that originated in the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Old French word "loier," which means "to bind or oblige." This term was commonly used in reference to those who practiced law and represented clients in legal matters.
In its early usage, the name Lawyer was likely bestowed upon individuals who worked as legal professionals or had close ties to the legal system. It served as a descriptive identifier, much like other occupational surnames such as Smith, Baker, or Cooper.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lawyer can be found in the court records of England from the late 13th century. A certain "William le Lauyer" was mentioned in legal documents from the city of Lincoln, indicating his profession as a lawyer or legal practitioner.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Lawyer. One of the most prominent figures was Sir John Lawyer (1470-1536), an English lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer during the reign of King Henry VIII.
Another distinguished bearer of the name was James Lawyer (1628-1687), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland and played a significant role in the prosecution of the Covenanters during the religious conflicts of the 17th century.
In the realm of literature, the American novelist and short story writer William Lawyer Crane (1854-1928) gained recognition for his works that explored themes of urban life and social realism.
In the field of politics, William Lawyer Marcy (1786-1857) was an American statesman who served as the 21st Governor of New York and later as the 13th United States Secretary of War under President James K. Polk.
Lastly, Lawyer Milloy (born 1974) is a former American football player who played as a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for several teams, including the Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons, earning a reputation as a hard-hitting defensive force.
These individuals, spanning various professions and eras, exemplify the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments associated with the given name Lawyer, which originated as a occupational descriptor but has since transcended its origins.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Lawyer
People
Lawyer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lawyer 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
Lawyer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lawyer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 319 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lawyer 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 1,074,465 US residents.
Is Lawyer a common name?
We classify Lawyer as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,021 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lawyer most popular?
The single biggest year for Lawyer was 1930, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lawyer is about 65 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lawyer a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lawyer 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.
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.