Laken
Laeken or Laken is a residential suburb in the north-western part of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. It belongs to the municipality of the City of Brussels and is mostly identified by the Belgian postal code: 1020. Prior to 1921, it was a separate municipality.
Meaning & Origin of Laken
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Laeken or Laken is a residential suburb in the north-western part of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. It belongs to the municipality of the City of Brussels and is mostly identified by the Belgian postal code: 1020. Prior to 1921, it was a separate municipality.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Laken
As a girl name
The earliest SSA record of Laken as a girl name dates back to 1984, when 19 babies received it. 1991 was its biggest year on record, with 232 newborns named Laken — #860 in the national rankings. About 31% of every Laken on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Laken ranks #1,338 for girls with 169 births, holding steady (+3%). All told, over 6K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1980s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
American parents first put Laken on the record books as a boy name in 1990, with 9 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2022, when 152 Lakens were born — ranking #1,268 that year. About 39% of every Laken on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Laken ranks #1,536 for boys with 115 births, holding steady (+2%). All told, over 2K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1990s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Laken
Phonetically similar names — useful when Laken is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Laken
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About the name Laken
Laken is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1984 and has accumulated 6K births in the dataset. Laken's peak popularity came in 1991 when it ranked #860. Use the chart and map above to compare Laken's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1991 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "L" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.