Given name & surname
Lancelot
Lancelot is used as a given name and a surname. One French interpretation is “an attendant; in Arthurian legend, a knight of the Round Table.” Its derivation is not certain.
Meaning & origin
What it means
One French interpretation is “an attendant; in Arthurian legend, a knight of the Round Table.” Its derivation is not certain.
Where it comes from
A possible origin is French, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
From Middle English Launcelot, from Old French Lancelot, from Frankish *Lanzo, from Proto-Germanic *landą (“land”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Its literary history includes the stories of King Arthur and his knights.
Lancelot through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 638
- 638 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1984
- 18 babies
- 2025
- 12
- #7,034 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +21%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 12 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 7,034 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 21.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 18 in 1984. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 837 as a first name in 2020; 173 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.
Lancelot’s family of names
In English usage, Lancelot has a diminutive in Lance. Lancelot has a feminine form in Ancelote. Lancelot has a related form in Lancelin.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Lancelot has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its French roots to each of them.
5 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 13
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Lancediminutive · English
- Lancellotlikely variant
- Launcelotvariant · English
- Launceevariant
- Launcyvariant
- Launceyvariant
- Launcievariant
- Launcivariant
Show 5 moreShow fewer
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Lancelot
- Lancelot HogbenBritish zoologist, statistician, science writer (1895–1975)
- Capability BrownBritish landscape architect (1716–1783)
- Lancelot AndrewesEnglish bishop and scholar1555–1626
- Lancelot Oduwa ImasuenNigerian film director and producerborn 1971
- Lancelot RoyleBritish sprinter (1898–1978)
- Lancelot BlondeelFlemish painter (1498-1561)1496–1561
- Lancelot HollandRoyal Navy admiral (1887-1941)
- Lancelot WareBritish politician (1915-2000)
- Lancelot VoldersFlemish painter (1636-1723)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Lancelot, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Percival
Percival is used as a given name, a surname, and a nickname. One French interpretation is “one who can pierce the vale; in Arthurian legend, the only one who could retrieve the Holy Grail.”
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“a sorrowful man”
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Tristan
Tristan is used as a given name and a surname. One Celtic interpretation is “a sorrowful man; in Arthurian legend, a knight of the Round Table.”
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Orlando
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Sancho
“one who is sacred”
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Gavin
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Jacques
“he who supplants” · “heel grabber”
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