Lance
Lance is a given name. Notable people with the name include:
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 →
The Story of Lance
Lance first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1899, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1970, when 4,160 Lances were born — ranking #76 that year. As of 2026, Lance ranks #850 for baby boys with 289 births, falling sharply (-18%). In total, more than 106K Lances have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1890s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
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?
How popular is Lance in 2026?
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In which U.S. states is Lance most popular?
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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.