Given name & surname · also American
Larkin
“a pretty young woman”·“one who is fierce”
Larkin is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “a pretty young woman” (American) and “one who is fierce”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “a pretty young woman” (American) and “one who is fierce”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is American.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Larkin through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,540
- 2,521 boys · 2,019 girls
- Most popular year
- 2018
- 155 babies
- 2025
- 75
- #3,682 for girls · #3,415 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −37%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 40% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 41 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 3,682 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 42.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 115 in 2006. It also appeared in 34 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, North Carolina had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,975 as a first name in 2020; 22,649 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.
Larkin’s family of names
Larkin has a related form in Larken. Larkin has a related form in Larkyn. Larkin has a related form in Larkan.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Larkynvariant
- Larkenvariant
- Larkunvariant
- Larkonvariant
- Larkanvariant
- Larkunevariant
- Larkenevariant
- Larkynevariant
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Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Larkin
- Larkin Goldsmith MeadAmerican artist (1835–1910)
- Larkin I. SmithAmerican politician (1944-1989)
- Larkin KerwinCanadian physicist (1924-2004)
- Larkin SeipleAmerican cinematographerborn 1985
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Larkin, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Ramsey
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