Lance - A very unique male name
Lance at a glance
Lance is ranked #872 among boy baby names in 2025, with 228 births in 2025. It peaked in 1970 at #76 and first appeared on the charts in 1915.
- Rank in 2025
- #872
- Births in 2025
- 228
- Peak year
- 1970 (#76)
- First appeared
- 1915
- Trend
- #765 in 2020 → #872 in 2025 (Falling)
- Popularity
- 1 in 6,431 boys
- Visitor rating
- 5.0/5 (4 recent votes)
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration · Data through 2025 · Updated 2026
With that position 1 in 6,431 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Lance peaked in popularity 56 years ago in 1970 on position 76.
Famous with this name
Lance Barber
Lance Henriksen
Lance Oppenheim
How would you rate Lance, 1-5?
Lance is currently topping the charts in...
Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Lance is currently topping the baby name charts in North Dakota at position #241 - and is the least popular in New York at position #1,926.Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Lance is where you live.
Comment and discuss
Lance origin and meaning
Old French / Germanic
From the Old French word lance, 'spear, lance' — possibly reinforced by Lanzo, a Germanic short name built on land, 'land'
Lance is the knight's weapon taken as a name, and it has lived in the shadow of Lancelot without ever being the same name. In the US it was a mid-century staple, peaking in 1970, and has been falling for decades — now a sleek, slightly retro one-syllable choice.
Attested etymology
Lance is a 5 letter name with 1 syllables.
To see famous people named Lance, pop culture references for the name Lance and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.Similar to Lance
We've found the following names that sound similar to Lance, sorted by popularity.
Lennox / Linus / Lonzo / Link / Lenox / Long / Leonce / Leng / Lonzie / Lennis /Name statistics
Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better
understanding of how popular or unique this name is.
With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually
differ a lot from state to state.
Chart position per year (visualized)
Chart position per state (visualized)
Chart position per year (table view)
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 872 |
| 2024 | 826 |
| 2023 | 847 |
| 2022 | 785 |
| 2021 | 804 |
| 2020 | 765 |
| 2019 | 670 |
| 2018 | 653 |
| 2017 | 635 |
| 2016 | 608 |
| 2015 | 601 |
| 2014 | 536 |
| 2013 | 573 |
| 2012 | 496 |
| 2011 | 468 |
| 2010 | 449 |
| 2009 | 432 |
| 2008 | 394 |
| 2007 | 370 |
| 2006 | 320 |
| 2005 | 262 |
| 2004 | 275 |
| 2003 | 267 |
| 2002 | 260 |
| 2001 | 256 |
| 2000 | 267 |
| 1999 | 288 |
| 1998 | 314 |
| 1997 | 297 |
| 1996 | 267 |
| 1995 | 256 |
| 1994 | 257 |
| 1993 | 230 |
| 1992 | 204 |
| 1991 | 197 |
| 1990 | 182 |
| 1989 | 164 |
| 1988 | 145 |
| 1987 | 142 |
| 1986 | 133 |
| 1985 | 130 |
| 1984 | 126 |
| 1983 | 135 |
| 1982 | 142 |
| 1981 | 160 |
| 1980 | 151 |
| 1979 | 142 |
| 1978 | 133 |
| 1977 | 139 |
| 1976 | 143 |
| 1975 | 162 |
| 1974 | 159 |
| 1973 | 147 |
| 1972 | 125 |
| 1971 | 98 |
| 1970 | 76 |
| 1969 | 102 |
| 1968 | 144 |
| 1967 | 151 |
| 1966 | 155 |
| 1965 | 169 |
| 1964 | 156 |
| 1963 | 166 |
| 1962 | 159 |
| 1961 | 172 |
| 1960 | 170 |
| 1959 | 203 |
| 1958 | 229 |
| 1957 | 222 |
| 1956 | 217 |
| 1955 | 222 |
| 1954 | 231 |
| 1953 | 259 |
| 1952 | 257 |
| 1951 | 246 |
| 1950 | 250 |
| 1949 | 264 |
| 1948 | 274 |
| 1947 | 285 |
| 1946 | 319 |
| 1945 | 301 |
| 1944 | 304 |
| 1943 | 375 |
| 1942 | 342 |
| 1941 | 375 |
| 1940 | 378 |
| 1939 | 328 |
| 1938 | 352 |
| 1937 | 847 |
| 1936 | 806 |
| 1929 | 1752 |
| 1927 | 1825 |
| 1915 | 1629 |
Chart position per state (table view)
| State | Rank |
|---|---|
| North Dakota | 241 |
| Iowa | 427 |
| Louisiana | 475 |
| Wisconsin | 551 |
| Washington | 553 |
| Kansas | 561 |
| Missouri | 581 |
| Kentucky | 601 |
| Colorado | 656 |
| Tennessee | 755 |
| Minnesota | 763 |
| Florida | 792 |
| Indiana | 815 |
| Pennsylvania | 818 |
| Ohio | 839 |
| Illinois | 907 |
| North Carolina | 908 |
| California | 923 |
| Michigan | 961 |
| Texas | 1029 |
| Virginia | 1037 |
| Georgia | 1175 |
| New York | 1926 |
Even more about Lance
These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.
Is Lance a common or unique name?
By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.What is the number of syllables for the name Lance?
1 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.Pronunciation
LANS · /læns/
Around the world
No traditional forms in other languages — this name was created in America in our own time.
Spellings and nicknames
- Lantz — A surname spelling occasionally used
- Lancelot — The Arthurian knight — a separate name that Lance is often wrongly assumed to shorten
Famous bearers
- Lance Armstrong — Cyclist, seven-time Tour de France winner later stripped of his titles for doping (b. 1971) Contemporary
- Lance Bass — Singer with *NSYNC (b. 1979) Contemporary
Style
Word name
Why parents choose it
Lance is compact and chivalric — parents pick it for a clean, athletic single beat that needs no nickname.
Worth knowing
- Lance Armstrong's doping disgrace attaches to the name for sports fans
- People assume it is short for Lancelot; it is not
