Given name

Lorelai

Lorelai is a feminine given name from German.

Meaning & origin

Where it comes from

Lorelai comes from German.

Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2001. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Lorelai through the years

Babies since 1880
10,253
0 boys · 10,253 girls
Most popular year
2025
926 babies
2025
926
#333 for girls
2021–25 vs 2016–20
+33%
Rising
02004006002025Highest share 2025576
Lorelai in U.S. Social Security birth records, 2001–2025, per million girls born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

Where it’s given

Most at home inKentucky, Indiana, Tennessee
FewerMore, relative to births Not published
2025 births by state of birth. Tiles are equal-sized so small states stay visible. Highest rates: Kentucky (30), Indiana (33), Tennessee (36), South Carolina (20), Missouri (26).

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 926 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 333 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 33.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (104). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,565 as a first name in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Lorelai’s family of names

Lorelai may belong to the same name family as LORELLAI. This is a tentative spelling connection.

Walk Lorelai’s family in the name graph

LorelaiLorelayLorellaiLorelei

Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Nicknames & forms 1

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 1

Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.

People named Lorelai

Characters named Lorelai: Lorelai Gilmore (the television series Gilmore Girls).

Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.

Similar names

If you love Lorelai, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

German · Modern

Rosse

“woman from the headland” · “from the headland”

13Very rareRising fast

>99% girls

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Pfeiffer

“piper”

11Very rareEasing

>99% girls

German · Modern

Balsam

Balsam is a surname from German.

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

Modern

Aylani

66FamiliarRising fast

>99% girls

Modern

Oaklynn

73CommonRising fast

1% boys · 99% girls

Modern

Jaylani

61FamiliarRising fast

2% boys · 98% girls

Modern

Kehlani

73CommonRising fast

>99% girls

Modern

Malani

63FamiliarRising fast

>99% girls

Sibling ideas

Names that share Lorelai’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Lorelai

A sister for Lorelai