Lerin
From Persian origins, meaning "wailing" or "lamentation".
Name Census estimates that about 210 living Americans carry the first name Lerin. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 87.1% of registrations being female. The average person named Lerin today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lerin births was 1980 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lerin. 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
210
~ 1 in 1,632,164 Americans
Peak year
1980
43 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
1982 SSA rank
#4,841
Tracked since 1979
Census
Lerin in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 263 people with the first name Lerin, which placed it at #32,158 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
#32,158
National first-name rank
People counted
263
263 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
58.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lerin
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lerin is White at 58.9%. The next largest groups are Black (30.8%) and Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Lerin 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 Lerin at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.9% · 155
- Black or African American30.8% · 81
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 12
- Two or more races2.7% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 2
Gender
Gender distribution for Lerin
Lerin leans heavily female at 87.1% of total registrations, but 29 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Lerin as a male name
- Ranked #4,841 in 1982
- 8 male births in 1982
- Peak: 1980 (8 births)
Lerin as a female name
- Ranked #14,818 in 1996
- 5 female births in 1996
- Peak: 1980 (35 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lerin leans strongly female. 233 people counted with this name were female (84.4%), compared with 43 male bearers (15.6%).
Popularity
Lerin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lerin from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 206 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lerin 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 Lerin 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 Lerin
The given name Lerin is believed to have originated from the Celtic culture, with roots tracing back to the ancient Britons and Gauls who inhabited parts of modern-day England, Wales, and France. The name is thought to be derived from the Celtic word "Leren," which means "elm tree" or "elm grove."
In ancient Celtic mythology, the elm tree was revered as a symbol of strength, endurance, and resilience. It was often associated with deities and spirits that represented these qualities. The name Lerin may have been given to individuals who embodied these traits or were born near elm groves, which were considered sacred spaces.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Lerin can be found in the Annales Cambriae, a medieval chronicle of Welsh history. This text, dating back to the 10th century, includes an entry from the year 828 that references a figure named "Lerin Briensis," who is believed to have been a prominent figure or ruler in the region.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Lerin. In the 12th century, Lerin de Bellefontaine was a French knight and crusader who participated in the Third Crusade (1189-1192) under the leadership of Richard the Lionheart. Records indicate that he was born around 1165 and died in the early 13th century.
Another prominent figure with the name Lerin was Lerin de Savoie, a 14th-century French nobleman and military commander who served under King Philip VI of France during the Hundred Years' War. He was born in 1315 and died in battle in 1346 at the age of 31.
In the realm of literature, Lerin Arnault was a 16th-century French poet and playwright who was part of the Pléiade, a group of influential Renaissance poets. He was born in 1537 and is known for his contributions to the development of the French poetic tradition.
Moving forward in time, Lerin Blackwood was a 19th-century British explorer and naturalist who traveled extensively in Africa and Asia. He was born in 1812 and is credited with discovering several new plant and animal species during his expeditions.
Lastly, Lerin Macdonald was a 20th-century Scottish artist and sculptor known for her abstract works. She was born in 1912 and gained recognition for her unique interpretations of natural forms and textures in her sculptures and installations.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Lerin, showcasing its enduring presence across various cultures and time periods.
People
Lerin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lerin 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
Lerin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lerin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 210 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lerin 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 1,632,164 US residents.
Is Lerin a common name?
We classify Lerin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 224 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lerin most popular?
The single biggest year for Lerin was 1980, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lerin is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lerin in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 263 people with the name Lerin, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #32,158 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 Lerin 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 Lerin?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lerin leans strongly female. 233 people counted with this name were female (84.4%), compared with 43 male bearers (15.6%). 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 Lerin?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lerin is White at 58.9%. The next largest groups are Black (30.8%) and Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Lerin most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Lerin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.9% (155 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 Lerin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lerin a female name?
Yes, 87.1% of people registered as Lerin 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.
Is Lerin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lerin 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 Lerin 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 common is the name Lerin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.