Lorraina
A feminine name of French origin meaning "the woman from Lorraine".
Name Census estimates that about 371 living Americans carry the first name Lorraina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lorraina today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lorraina births was 2015 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lorraina. 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
371
~ 1 in 923,866 Americans
Peak year
2015
14 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,873
Tracked since 1956
Popularity
Lorraina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lorraina from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 92 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Lorraina remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lorraina 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 Lorraina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lorrainas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Lorraina
The name Lorraina is derived from the French name Lorraine, which itself originated from the region of Lorraine in northeastern France. This region was originally known as Lotharingia, named after the Frankish king Lothair II who ruled in the 9th century.
The name Lotharingia comes from the Germanic words "lotha" meaning "famous" and "ringa" meaning "people." Thus, Lorraina essentially means "famous people" or "renowned people." The name was initially used to refer to the people of the Lorraine region, but over time it evolved into a feminine given name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lorraina dates back to the 12th century. In the annals of the Benedictine monastery of St. Hubert in the Ardennes, there is a mention of a woman named Lorraina who lived in the year 1158.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Lorraina. One of the most famous was Lorraina Hansberry (1930-1965), an American playwright and activist who wrote the groundbreaking play "A Raisin in the Sun." Her work was a significant contribution to the American Civil Rights Movement.
Another prominent Lorraina was Lorraina Baez (1896-1967), a Mexican painter and printmaker who was part of the Mexican Renaissance movement. Her work often depicted scenes of everyday life and indigenous culture.
In the 16th century, there was Lorraina de' Medici (1522-1589), a member of the powerful Medici family of Florence. She was the Duchess of Guise and played a significant role in the French Wars of Religion.
The name Lorraina also appeared in religious texts. In the 13th century, there was a nun named Lorraina of Reims who wrote several devotional works and was known for her piety.
Another notable Lorraina was Lorraina Bobbitt (1969-), an American woman who gained notoriety in 1993 for cutting off her husband's penis after an alleged incident of domestic violence. Her case sparked a national conversation about spousal abuse and gender relations.
While these are just a few examples, the name Lorraina has a rich history dating back centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, writers, nobility, and religious figures.
People
Lorraina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lorraina 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
Lorraina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lorraina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 371 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lorraina 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 923,866 US residents.
Is Lorraina a common name?
We classify Lorraina as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 390 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lorraina most popular?
The single biggest year for Lorraina was 2015, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lorraina is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lorraina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lorraina 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.