Lawrence is a name of Latin origin that means "laurel" or "victory." It was originally a surname derived from the Roman family name Laurentius, which was taken from the Latin word laurus meaning "laurel tree." The laurel tree and its leaves were used as symbols of victory in ancient Rome, and the name Lawrence became associated with this idea.
The name Lawrence has been widely used throughout history. In the early Christian church, St. Lawrence was a popular martyr whose feast day is celebrated on August 10th. He was a deacon in the Church of Rome who was martyred during the persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Valerian around 258 AD. His legend states that he gave away his wealth to the poor before being executed, which earned him the title of "one of the seven deacons" and made him a patron saint of cooks, launderers, and comedians.
The name Lawrence has also been popular among royalty throughout history. King Laurence I ruled over Moravia in the 10th century, and St. Lawrence II was king of Hungary from 1458 to 1497. In more recent times, Lawrence was a popular name for princes in Europe during the Victorian era.
Today, Lawrence is still a widely-used given name around the world, particularly among English-speaking countries such as the United States and Canada. Some notable people with the name Lawrence include the famous poet D.H. Lawrence, who was born in England in 1885, and the actor Laurence Olivier, who was born in Wales in 1907.
Here are some interesting statistics about the name Lawrence:
The name Lawrence first appeared on the Social Security Administration's list of most popular baby names in the United States in 1880, with 257 births that year.
Over the next few years, the number of babies named Lawrence varied slightly, ranging from a low of 244 births in 1881 to a high of 372 births in 1889. However, starting in 1890, there was a significant increase in popularity for this name.
Between 1890 and 1912, the number of babies named Lawrence grew steadily, reaching an all-time high of 2467 births in 1912. This period marked the peak popularity of the name Lawrence.
During World War I (1914-1918), there was a brief dip in popularity for the name Lawrence, with fewer than 5000 babies being named Lawrence each year during this time. However, after the war ended, the name began to regain its popularity and reached another peak of 5727 births in 1920.
Throughout the Roaring Twenties and into the Great Depression era (1920s-1930s), the number of babies named Lawrence remained consistently high, ranging from a low of 4643 births in 1966 to a high of 8516 births in 1946.
However, starting around the mid-1950s, there was another noticeable decline in popularity for the name Lawrence. Between 1955 and 1972, the number of babies named Lawrence dropped significantly from 9130 births to just 2524 births.
Since then, the popularity of the name Lawrence has continued to fluctuate but remains relatively stable. As of 2022, there were 519 births for the name Lawrence in the United States, according to data from the Social Security Administration.
In total, over the years since 1880, there have been approximately 459979 babies named Lawrence born in the United States.