Layman
A name of English origin meaning "a man of the people".
Name Census estimates that about 75 living Americans carry the first name Layman. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Layman today is around 78 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Layman births was 1924 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Layman. 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 Layman is about 78 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Laymans were born before 1958.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Layman. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
75
~ 1 in 4,570,058 Americans
Peak year
1924
13 babies that year
Average age
78
years old
1963 SSA rank
#3,515
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Layman: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Layman from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 54 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Layman 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 Layman during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Layman
The name Layman originated from the Old English word "lǽwede," which means "one of the laity" or "a person who is not a member of the clergy." This name has its roots in the early Christian church, where it was used to distinguish between clergy members and the general population.
During the Middle Ages, the term "layman" was commonly used to refer to individuals who were not part of the religious orders or the nobility. It carried a connotation of being a commoner or someone without formal education or training in religious matters.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Layman can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England conducted in 1086. The name appears as a surname, indicating that it was already in use during this period.
In the 13th century, the name Layman appeared in a religious text known as the "Ancrene Wisse," which provided guidance for anchoresses (women who lived a life of religious seclusion). The text mentions "lewed men," referring to laypeople who were not part of the clergy.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Layman. One such person was John Layman (c. 1540-1617), an English translator and clergyman who translated works from French and Latin into English.
Another prominent figure was Benjamin Layman (1685-1762), a British colonial administrator who served as the President of the Council of Virginia from 1751 to 1761.
In the 19th century, Isaac Layman (1808-1888) was a prominent American businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Layman Distilling Company in Virginia.
William Layman (1867-1935) was a British artist and painter known for his landscapes and portraits. He was elected a member of the Royal Academy in 1925.
More recently, Meriwether Layman (1901-1988) was an American aviator and aviation pioneer who set several aviation records and played a significant role in developing commercial aviation in the United States.
While the name Layman may have originated from a specific religious context, it has evolved over time and has been adopted by individuals across various walks of life, reflecting its transition from a term denoting a commoner to a common given name.
People
Layman + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Layman 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
Layman: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Layman?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 75 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Layman 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 4,570,058 US residents.
Is Layman a common name?
We classify Layman as "Very Rare". It ranks above 60.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 244 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Layman most popular?
The single biggest year for Layman was 1924, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Layman is about 78 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Layman a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Layman 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.