Given name & surname
Lad
“a servant; a young man”
Lad is a variant of Ladd. One English interpretation is “a servant; a young man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Lad is a variant of Ladd. One English interpretation is “a servant; a young man.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Lad is a variant of Ladd. An origin associated with Ladd is English.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1916. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Lad through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 21
- 21 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1956
- 6 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1964. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 6 in 1956. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 250 as a first name in 2020; 1,130 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love Lad, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Brad
“one who has broad shoulders”
>99% boys
Les
“roman fort” · “a man from Leicester”
>99% boys
Al
“one who counsels the elves” · “one who is noble and bright”
>99% boys
Tad
“having heart”
>99% boys
Jac
Jac is a masculine given name from English. It is used in Welsh.
>99% boys
Rand
“one who shields others”
79% boys · 21% girls
Val
“one who is strong and healthy” · “resembling a spring flower”
88% boys · 12% girls
Adlai
“God is just” · “The Lord is just; an orna-i ment”
75% boys · 25% girls