Lawerence vs Lawton
American parents have registered 4,818 Lawerences since 1880, against 2,866 Lawtons. But in 2025 it was Lawton that was commoner, 36 babies to fewer than five.
Babies given each name, 1880–2025
Lawerence Lawton
Each line is every baby given the name that year, girls and boys added together — the only count that means the same thing for both names. A line breaks where the name fell below five babies in a year — the point at which the SSA stops publishing it — rather than being drawn through a figure nobody published. A single published year in a gap shows as a dot.
Who was ahead
Of the 136 years in which either name was published, Lawerence for 86 years and Lawton for 50 years. The lead changed hands 13 times.
- 1894–1897 Lawerence ahead
- 1901–1906 Lawton ahead
- 1907–1983 Lawerence ahead, apart from one short spell
- 1987–2025 Lawton ahead, apart from one short spell
8 shorter spells of a year or two are folded into the spans above rather than listed separately.
Side by side
| Lawerence | Lawton | |
|---|---|---|
| Total US births | 4,818 | 2,866 |
| Most in one year | 125 | 53 |
| Babies in 2025 | under 5 | 36 |
| Estimated living today | 2,000 | 1,700 |
| Median age today | 68 | 25 |
| Peak year | 1949 | 2021 |
| Best rank | 607th boys | 2,652nd boys |
| Rank in 2025 | unranked | 3,240th |
| First recorded | 1881 | 1889 |
| Girls / boys | 0 / 4,818 | 5 / 2,861 |
A rank is a position within one sex’s list for one year, so the two rank rows are not subtracted from one another and the winning column is not marked on them. The living figure is a life-table estimate, not a count.
Which name is older
Half of the Lawerences alive today are over 68; half the Lawtons are over 25. That is 43 years between them: two names in use at the same time, worn by two different generations.
Where each one is strongest
- Lawerence Louisiana (3.6×), Michigan (3.3×), Illinois (2.7×)
- Lawton Georgia (23.2×), South Carolina (11.3×), Florida (1.6×)
How much commoner the name is in that state than it is nationally, from births recorded since 1910.
Compare something else
Related comparisons
Social Security Administration birth records, 1880–2025, public domain. Full histories: Lawerence and Lawton.