Lorane
A feminine name of uncertain origin, perhaps a combination of French flora and Latin laurus.
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the first name Lorane. It is a predominantly female name (98.8% of registrations). The average person named Lorane today is around 72 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lorane births was 1920 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lorane. 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 Lorane is about 72 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Loranes were born before 1964.
People living today
120
~ 1 in 2,856,286 Americans
Peak year
1920
22 babies that year
Average age
72
years old
1930 SSA rank
#4,328
Tracked since 1908
Census
Lorane in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 346 people with the first name Lorane, which placed it at #26,749 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
#26,749
National first-name rank
People counted
346
346 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
54.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lorane
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lorane is White at 54.6%. The next largest groups are Black (24.6%) and Hispanic (13.6%). 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 Lorane 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 Lorane at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.6% · 189
- Black or African American24.6% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino13.6% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 7
- Two or more races1.7% · 6
Gender
Gender distribution for Lorane
Lorane leans heavily female at 98.8% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Lorane as a male name
- Ranked #4,328 in 1930
- 5 male births in 1930
- Peak: 1930 (5 births)
Lorane as a female name
- Ranked #14,765 in 1994
- 5 female births in 1994
- Peak: 1920 (22 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lorane leans strongly female. 331 people counted with this name were female (94.8%), compared with 18 male bearers (5.2%).
Popularity
Lorane: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lorane from the 1900s through to the 1990s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 126 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
Lorane 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 Lorane 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 Lorane
The given name Lorane has its origins in the French language, with its roots traced back to the late Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "laurus," which means "laurel" or "bay laurel." The laurel tree held significant symbolic importance in ancient Greek and Roman cultures, often associated with victory, honor, and accomplishment.
During the Middle Ages, the name Lorane gained popularity in certain regions of France, particularly in the southern provinces where the Romance languages were more prevalent. It was often used as a feminine form of the masculine name Laurent, which also stems from the Latin "laurus."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lorane can be found in the 14th-century French literary work "Roman de la Rose," where it was mentioned as the name of a character. This literary reference suggests that the name had already gained some recognition and usage by that time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Lorane. One such figure was Lorane Antrim (1895-1963), an American lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court from 1955 to 1957. Her tenure marked a significant milestone as she became the first woman to hold that position in the state of Idaho.
Another notable bearer of the name was Lorane Gaspar (1910-1995), a French writer and poet who gained recognition for her works exploring themes of love, nature, and the human experience. Her poetry collections, such as "Les Mots du Silence" (1956) and "Chanson d'Amour" (1962), received critical acclaim and established her as a prominent voice in French literature.
In the field of music, Lorane Langille (1872-1953) was a Canadian singer and voice teacher who made significant contributions to the development of vocal pedagogy. She taught at the Toronto Conservatory of Music and authored several influential works on vocal technique, including "The Building of a Singing Voice" (1928).
Another historical figure with the name Lorane was Lorane Sutton (1890-1981), an American artist and illustrator renowned for her illustrations in children's books. Her work appeared in numerous publications, including the iconic "Little House on the Prairie" series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Lastly, Lorane Eldridge (1935-2019) was a Canadian politician and activist who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1986 to 1991. She was a vocal advocate for women's rights and played a crucial role in advancing gender equality initiatives in the province.
These examples showcase the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of individuals who have carried the name Lorane throughout history, reflecting its enduring presence across various cultures and eras.
People
Lorane + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lorane 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
Lorane: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lorane?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 120 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lorane 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 2,856,286 US residents.
Is Lorane a common name?
We classify Lorane as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 428 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lorane most popular?
The single biggest year for Lorane was 1920, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lorane is about 72 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lorane in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 346 people with the name Lorane, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #26,749 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 Lorane 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 Lorane?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lorane leans strongly female. 331 people counted with this name were female (94.8%), compared with 18 male bearers (5.2%). 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 Lorane?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lorane is White at 54.6%. The next largest groups are Black (24.6%) and Hispanic (13.6%). 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 Lorane most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Lorane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.6% (189 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 Lorane in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lorane a female name?
Yes, 98.8% of people registered as Lorane 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 Lorane still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lorane 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 Lorane 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 many people have Lorane as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Lorane, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.