Lance
Lance is a given name. Notable people with the name include:
- English
Meaning & Origin of Lance
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Lance is a given name. Notable people with the name include:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Lance
The earliest SSA record of Lance as a baby boy name dates back to 1899, when 5 babies received it. 1970 was its biggest year on record, with 4,160 newborns named Lance — #76 in the national rankings. About 21% of every Lance on record arrived during the 1970s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Lance ranks #850 for baby boys with 289 births, falling sharply (-18%). All told, over 106K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1890s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Lance
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Lance. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Lance
Phonetically similar names — useful when Lance 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 Lance
What does the name Lance mean?
What is the origin of the name Lance?
How popular is Lance in 2026?
When was Lance most popular?
In which U.S. states is Lance most popular?
Is Lance a unisex name?
What names go well with Lance?
What are nicknames or variants of Lance?
About the name Lance
Lance is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1899 and has accumulated 106K births in the dataset. Lance's peak popularity came in 1970 when it ranked #76. Use the chart and map above to compare Lance's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1970 →
- Names of the 1970s →
- Names starting with "L" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.