Lance
Old French from Germanic land, “land”; its knightly ring comes from the weapon and from Lancelot.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Lance first shows up in the national records in 1899. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1970 to 1971. Its biggest year was 1970, when 4,160 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 76 nationally. In 2025 it ranked No. 862 for boys. All told, 106,184 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Lanise (603) (total births since 1880)
Explore Lance interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1890s | 5 | No. 1051 |
| 1900s | 61 | No. 858 |
| 1910s | 184 | No. 1153 |
| 1920s | 302 | No. 1122 |
| 1930s | 868 | No. 321 |
| 1940s | 4,184 | No. 263 |
| 1950s | 9,720 | No. 203 |
| 1960s | 20,034 | No. 103 |
| 1970s | 21,791 | No. 76 |
| 1980s | 19,452 | No. 127 |
| 1990s | 12,100 | No. 182 |
| 2000s | 10,542 | No. 256 |
| 2010s | 4,784 | No. 443 |
| 2020s | 1,812 | No. 764 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.