Origin: |
Lawrence and Laurence are English forms of the Roman nomen Laurentius meaning "of Laurentium." Laurentium was an ancient city in Latium about sixteen miles from Rome. Most likely the name derived from the Latin laurus "bay laurel tree." In ancient Greece and Rome, the leaves of the bay laurel were made into crowns and placed upon the head of a victor in either a competition (athletic or artistic/poetic) or a martial commander. Thus, the laurel became associated as an emblem of victory. |
Usage: |
Laurentius was a well established Roman surname, and some bearers are still known to us today. Most notably is Lawrence of Rome (d. 258) or Saint Lawrence, a 3rd century deacon of Rome who was martyred during the persecution by Emperor Valerian in 258 when he presented the poor of the city when commanded to offer up the treasures of the church. He is one of the most widely venerated saints in Christianity and a patron of the city of Rome. The name can not be found in use in Anglo-Saxon England apart from Saint Laurence of Canterbury (d. 619), the second Archbishop of Canterbury. No doubt named after Lawrence of Rome, he was an Italian monk who accompanied Augustine on his mission to Christianise the Anglo-Saxons and later succeeded him as archbishop. The veneration of Saint Lawrence of Rome became widespread after the Norman Conquest -- perhaps bolstered by St Laurence of Canterbury -- and over two hundred churches were dedicated to him in England. In a study of 1000 names from 10 counties from 1377-81, Redmonds calculates that Laurence held a rank of #21. This use led to a multitude of diminutive forms including Laurie, Lawrie, Lowrie, Larry, Lorry, Law, Low, Larkin and Lorkin. Alongside Lawrence/Laurence, many of these diminutive forms became surnames alongside Lawrenson, Lawson, Lowson, Lawes and Lorie. The diminutive Lorkin is perhaps one reason why Laurence was used to render the Irish name Lorcán into English. The Irish saint Lorcán Ua Tuathail (1128–1180), Archbishop of Dublin is also known by the English rendering Saint Laurence O'Toole. Laurence never reached the heights of extreme popularity within the top 10 but it was enduring throughout the following centuries, as can be seen by Smith Bannister's top 50 frequency tables from 1538-1700: It was the 17th most common name in Elizabethan Norfolk and 34th during the Reformation. Leslie Dunkling also ranks Laurence at #37 in 1700 and #48 in 1800. By the 19th century, Lawrence had taken precedence as the more common spelling as we can see from their individual rank in the latter half of the century.
In Scotland, Lawrence ranked #61 in 1900 while Laurence was #69. Both spellings stayed in the top 100 until 1950, ranking #76 and #84 respectively, after which it fell out. In England and Wales, both Lawrence and Laurence ranked in the top 100 until 1924. Laurence at that time ranked #100 and fell out after. Lawrence (at #62) remained for another two decades, falling below after 1954 when it ranked #77. Since 1996, the two spellings have been very closely matched. Up until 2000, both were just within the top 200; since they have both maintained a steady rank within the top 400. In 2014, Laurence ranked #359 (116 births) and Lawrence ranked #395 (103 births) in England and Wales. In Scotland in 2015, Lawrence was #470 (6 births) and Laurence #529 (5 births). |
Famous Bearers: |
History: * Saint Lawrence of Rome (d. 258), deacon of Rome and Catholic saint. Contemporary: * Laurence Fishburne (b.1961), American actor. Literature and Other Media: * Lawrence Boythorn, a character in Charles Dickens' Bleak House (1852) |
Variants: |
Lawrence; Labhrainn (Scottish), Laurent (French) Lorenzo (Italian, Spanish), Labhrás (Irish), Lorens, Lars (Scandinavian), Laurens (Dutch), Lavrentios (Greek), Wawrzyniec (Polish), Vavřinec (Czech) |
Pronunciation: |
LO-rəns [key] |
Possible diminutives: |
Laurie, Lawrie, Larry, Lorry, Lance, Lol, Lal, Lanty, Lonny, Larkin, Lorkin, Lars, Enzo, Lenz |
Sibling Names: |
Iris Josephine Lois Vivienne Arabella Verity |
Name Lists: |
Vintage Names Upright Elegance Medieval Favourites Terrifically Tudor Gorgeously Georgian |
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Thanks to Clementine for requesting this post.