Given name & surname
Larry
“man from Laurentum; crowned with laurel”·“a tomboyish woman”
In English use, Larry is a diminutive of Lawrence. One Latin interpretation is “man from Laurentum; crowned with laurel.” Larry is a variant of Larrie. One American interpretation is “a tomboyish woman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Larry is a diminutive of Lawrence. One Latin interpretation is “man from Laurentum; crowned with laurel.” Larry is a variant of Larrie. One American interpretation is “a tomboyish woman.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Larry is a variant of Larrie. An origin associated with Larrie is American.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English use, Larry is used as an affectionate form of Laurence. In English use, Larry is used as an affectionate form of Lawrence.
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. In English use, Larry is a diminutive of Laurence. The history of Laurence gives this family its wider story. Laurence was in use during the Middle Ages.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Larry through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 811,148
- 807,588 boys · 3,560 girls
- Most popular year
- 1947
- 35,027 babies
- 2025
- 198
- #1,085 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −35%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 198 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,085 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 35.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 34,946 in 1947. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (22). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 512,456 as a first name in 2020; 5,692 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.
Larry’s family of names
In English usage, Larry is a diminutive of Lawrence. In English usage, Larry has a related form in Laurence. Larry is an affectionate form of Lawrence.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Larry has relatives in 9 languages.
12 related names in 9 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 13
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- EnzoItalian
- Renzoequivalent · Spanish
- LarsSwedish, Norwegian
- LaurentFrench
- Laryequivalent
- Larriequivalent
- LasseSwedish, Norwegian
- LorisItalian
Show 5 moreShow fewer
People named Larry
- Larry SangerAmerican former professor, co-founder of Wikipedia, founder of Citizendium and other projects (born 1968)
- Larry PageAmerican computer scientist and Internet entrepreneur (born 1973)
- Larry KingAmerican television and radio host (1933–2021)
- Larry BirdAmerican basketball player and coach (born 1956)
- Larry DavidAmerican comedian, writer and actor (born 1947)
- Larry EllisonAmerican internet entrepreneur and businessman (born 1944)
- Larry HagmanAmerican actor (1931–2012)
- Larry WallAmerican computer programmer and authorborn 1954
- Larry FlyntAmerican publisher1942–2021
Characters named Larry: Larry Laffer (protagonist from the Leisure Suit Larry video game series), Larry Butz (Ace Attorney character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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