Lorain
A feminine name of French origin meaning "laurel" or "crowned with laurels".
Name Census estimates that about 317 living Americans carry the first name Lorain. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 82.8% of registrations being female. The average person named Lorain today is around 71 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lorain births was 1919 (50 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lorain. 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 Lorain is about 71 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Lorains were born before 1965.
People living today
317
~ 1 in 1,081,244 Americans
Peak year
1919
50 babies that year
Average age
71
years old
1939 SSA rank
#3,335
Tracked since 1900
Gender
Gender distribution for Lorain
Lorain leans heavily female at 82.8% of total registrations, but 213 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Lorain as a male name
- Ranked #3,335 in 1939
- 6 male births in 1939
- Peak: 1917 (16 births)
Lorain as a female name
- Ranked #19,023 in 2009
- 5 female births in 2009
- Peak: 1928 (36 births)
Popularity
Lorain: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lorain from the 1900s through to the 2000s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 390 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lorain 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 Lorain during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lorains live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky recorded the most babies named Lorain, while Wisconsin, Missouri, Kentucky recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lorain
The name Lorain has its origins in the French language and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "Loraine," which referred to the historical region of Lorraine, located in present-day northeastern France. Lorraine itself is named after the ancient Lotharingia territory, which was established in the 9th century and named after the Frankish king Lothair II.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lorain can be found in the 13th-century literary work "Roman de la Rose," where it appears as a character's name. This suggests that the name was in use during that era, possibly among the noble or aristocratic classes who would have had ties to the Lorraine region.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Lorain. One prominent example is Lorain de Brabant (c. 1190-1223), who was the Duchess of Brabant and Lothier from 1212 until her death. Another historical figure was Lorain de Haynaut (c. 1200-1244), a Countess of Leuven and Hainaut in the 13th century.
Moving forward in time, Lorain Gaspar (1608-1637) was a French mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of the Gregorian calendar. In the 19th century, Lorain Bulard (1809-1838) was a French painter and illustrator known for his depictions of historical scenes and battles.
More recently, Lorain Cranston (1888-1960) was an American stage and film actress who appeared in various productions during the early 20th century. She is remembered for her roles in several silent films and Broadway plays.
While the name Lorain may have originated from a specific geographic region, its use has spread across various cultures and languages over the centuries. Its connection to the historical Lorraine territory and the French language gives the name a rich cultural heritage and a fascinating journey through time.
People
Lorain + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lorain 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
Lorain: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lorain?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 317 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lorain 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 1,081,244 US residents.
Is Lorain a common name?
We classify Lorain as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,237 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lorain most popular?
The single biggest year for Lorain was 1919, when 50 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lorain is about 71 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lorain a female name?
Yes, 82.8% of people registered as Lorain 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.