How to say it
LAU · ren
/ˈlɔːr.ən/
Feminine
Lauren
Laurel
What it means
The feminine of Laurence, from the Latin laurel of Laurentum, the victor's crown.
Lauren is the feminine of Laurence, sharing the laurel root with Laura and Lawrence, the leaves once woven into crowns for champions. Actress Lauren Bacall, who took the name for the screen, made it a star, and it became a defining girls' name in the 1980s and 90s. It reads sleek and classic. Lo and Ren are the shorts; Lauryn and Loren are the variants.
Popularity over time
peaked at #9 in 1989, currently #401 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Spelling
Shares the laurel root with Laura and Lawrence; Lauryn and Loren are variants.
- Pop culture
Lauren Bacall and, later, designer Ralph Lauren keep it in the air.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Lauren Bacall American actress of Hollywood's golden age
Spelling variants
- Loren
- Lauryn
- Laurin
Names with the same feeling
See Lauren from another angle
By meaning
By style