Laurence

“Person from Laurentum, a town perhaps named for laurel trees” — Latin origin

Boy's name · #1743 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Laurence has appeared in US records since 1880 — best rank #201 (1898) · 39,720 babies named Laurence all-time · 1 in 20,000 boys born in 2025.

Around the world: about 1 in 2,700 boys in England & Wales (2025) · about 1 in 3,900 boys in Scotland (2025) · about 1 in 18,000 boys in Canada (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 7 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Laurences

Laurence Olivier — English actor and director (1907–1989)
Laurence Sterne — Anglo-Irish novelist and Anglican cleric (1713–1768)
Laurence Fishburne — American actor
Laurence Harvey — Lithuanian-born British actor (1928-1973)
Laurence J. Peter — Canadian educator (1919–1990)

In stories & tradition

Laurence Blood — video game character

What Laurences become

Among 1,505 notable people named Laurence:

Political leaders appear 1.29× more often than among typical names — e.g. Laurence Oliphant, British author, traveller, diplomat and Christian mystic (1829-1888).

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.