Gender Masculine
Usage English
Pronounced Pron. LAWR-əns  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

From the Roman cognomen Laurentius, which meant "from Laurentum". Laurentum was a city in ancient Italy, its name probably deriving from Latin laurus "laurel". Saint Laurence was a 3rd-century deacon and martyr from Rome. According to tradition he was roasted alive on a gridiron because, when ordered to hand over the church's treasures, he presented the sick and poor. Due to the saint's popularity, the name came into general use in the Christian world (in various spellings).

In the Middle Ages this name was common in England, partly because of a second saint by this name, a 7th-century archbishop of Canterbury. Likewise it has been common in Ireland due to the 12th-century Saint Laurence O'Toole (whose real name was Lorcán). Since the 19th century the spelling Lawrence has been more common, especially in America. A famous bearer was the British actor Laurence Olivier (1907-1989).

Related Names

VariantsLauren, Lawrence
DiminutivesLarrie, Larry, Laurie, Laz, Loren, Lorin, Lorrin(English) Lawrie(English (British))
Other Languages & CulturesLaurentius(Ancient Roman) Llorenç(Catalan) Lovre, Lovrenco, Lovro(Croatian) Vavřinec(Czech) Lars, Lasse, Laurids, Laurits, Lauritz, Lorens(Danish) Lars, Laurens, Lourens, Lau, Rens(Dutch) Lauri(Estonian) Lars, Lari, Lasse, Lassi, Lauri(Finnish) Laurent(French) Lourens(Frisian) Lavrenti(Georgian) Lars, Lorenz, Laurenz, Lenz(German) Lavrentios(Greek) Lőrinc(Hungarian) Lárus(Icelandic) Labhrás(Irish) Lorenzo, Enzo, Loris, Renzo(Italian) Lor(Limburgish) Laurynas(Lithuanian) Larkin, Law(Medieval English) Lars(Medieval Scandinavian) Lorencio(Medieval Spanish) Lars, Lasse, Laurits, Lauritz, Lorens(Norwegian) Wawrzyniec(Polish) Lourenço(Portuguese) Laurențiu(Romanian) Lavrenti, Lavrentiy, Lavrenty(Russian) Labhrann(Scottish Gaelic) Vavrinec(Slovak) Lovrenc, Lovro(Slovene) Lorenzo(Spanish) Renzo(Spanish (Latin American)) Lars, Lasse, Lorens(Swedish)
Surname DescendantLawrence(English)
Same SpellingLaurence 2

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   upper class   wholesome   strong   refined   serious  

Images

Depiction of Saint Laurence by Francisco de Zurbarán (1636)Depiction of Saint Laurence by Francisco de Zurbarán (1636)

Categories

Entry updated January 22, 2019