Lenice
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "calm, serene".
Name Census estimates that about 242 living Americans carry the first name Lenice. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lenice today is around 63 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lenice births was 1928 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lenice. 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
242
~ 1 in 1,416,340 Americans
Peak year
1928
14 babies that year
Average age
63
years old
1995 SSA rank
#12,661
Tracked since 1899
Popularity
Lenice: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lenice from the 1890s through to the 1990s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 91 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
Lenice 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 Lenice 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 Lenice
The name Lenice is a feminine given name that originated in Ancient Greece. It derives from the Greek word "lenikós," which means "gentle" or "mild." The name was likely first given to children as a reflection of the desired qualities they would embody in adulthood.
During the Classical period in Greece, the name Lenice appeared in various texts and records, though its usage was relatively rare compared to more popular Greek names like Helen and Phoebe. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Lenice of Crete, a philosopher and poet who lived in the 5th century BCE.
As the Greek culture and language spread throughout the Mediterranean region, the name Lenice traveled as well. It was adopted by the Romans, who spelled it as "Lenicia" or "Lenicea." In the 1st century CE, there are records of a Roman woman named Lenicia who was a prominent patron of the arts in the city of Pompeii.
During the Middle Ages, the name fell out of favor in most parts of Europe but managed to maintain a presence in certain regions of Greece and Italy. One notable bearer from this period was Lenice of Byzantium, a 12th-century noblewoman and scholar who was renowned for her knowledge of classical literature.
The Renaissance saw a revival of interest in classical Greek and Roman names, including Lenice. In the 16th century, the Italian poet and playwright Lenice Tansillo (1510-1568) helped to popularize the name again. Other famous bearers from this era include the Italian painter Lenice Castellani (1551-1617) and the French philosopher Lenice de Gournay (1565-1645), who was a close friend and advocate of Michel de Montaigne.
In more recent centuries, the name Lenice has remained relatively uncommon but has been used sporadically in various parts of Europe and the Americas. Notable bearers include the American novelist Lenice Buckingham (1887-1962) and the Italian opera singer Lenice Alessandrini (1908-1986).
While not a widely popular name in modern times, Lenice has a rich history that stretches back to ancient civilizations and reflects the enduring influence of Greek culture and language on Western naming traditions.
People
Lenice + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lenice 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
Lenice: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lenice?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 242 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lenice 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 1,416,340 US residents.
Is Lenice a common name?
We classify Lenice as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 517 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lenice most popular?
The single biggest year for Lenice was 1928, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lenice is about 63 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lenice a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lenice 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.