Lancer
One who bears a lance in battle or for guarding royalty.
Name Census estimates that about 182 living Americans carry the first name Lancer. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lancer today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lancer births was 1970 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lancer. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
182
~ 1 in 1,883,266 Americans
Peak year
1970
31 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
2019 SSA rank
#13,297
Tracked since 1916
Census
Lancer in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 217 people with the first name Lancer, which placed it at #36,520 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#36,520
National first-name rank
People counted
217
217 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
61.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lancer
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lancer is White at 61.3%. The next largest groups are Black (19.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Lancer described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Lancer at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.3% · 133
- Black or African American19.8% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.5% · 12
- Two or more races5.5% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.7% · 8
Popularity
Lancer: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lancer from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 118 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lancer by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Lancer during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lancers live
Origin
Meaning and history of Lancer
The name Lancer has its origins in the French language, derived from the word "lancier," which means "lancer" or "one who carries a lance." The name traces its roots back to the Middle Ages, a time when the lance was a prominent weapon used by cavalry soldiers in battles across Europe.
During the medieval period, the term "lancer" was used to refer to a specific type of cavalry soldier who specialized in using the lance as their primary weapon. These soldiers were highly skilled and valued for their ability to charge into battle with their lances held high, delivering devastating blows to their opponents.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lancer can be found in the chronicles of the Hundred Years' War between England and France, which took place from 1337 to 1453. Several notable knights and men-at-arms bore the name Lancer during this conflict, as it was a common practice to adopt names related to one's profession or military role.
Throughout history, the name Lancer has been associated with bravery, strength, and military prowess. One famous bearer of this name was Sir Lancer du Bois, a renowned French knight who fought alongside Joan of Arc during the Siege of Orléans in 1429. His valiant efforts and loyalty to the Maid of Orléans earned him a place in the annals of French history.
Another notable individual with the name Lancer was Lancer de Montfort, a 13th-century English crusader and military leader who fought in the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars in southern France. His exploits and leadership during this religious conflict solidified his place as a prominent figure of the era.
In the realm of literature, the name Lancer has also made its mark. One of the most famous fictional characters bearing this name is Lancer Yvain, the protagonist of the medieval romance "Yvain, the Knight of the Lion" by Chrétien de Troyes. This 12th-century work depicts Lancer as a brave and chivalrous knight who embarks on a series of adventures, showcasing the ideals of courtly love and knighthood.
The name Lancer has also been carried by notable figures in more recent history. Lancer Grimaldi, a 16th-century Italian condottiero (mercenary leader), gained fame for his military prowess and cunning tactics during the Italian Wars of the Renaissance period.
Lastly, Lancer Beauregard was a prominent American soldier who served as a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He is renowned for his leadership at the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861, where his strategic decisions played a crucial role in the Confederate victory.
Through the ages, the name Lancer has been closely tied to the ideals of courage, honor, and military valor. Its rich history and associations with knighthood, chivalry, and warfare have made it a name that evokes strength and a sense of heroism.
People
Lancer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lancer as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lancer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lancer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 182 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lancer going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,883,266 US residents.
Is Lancer a common name?
We classify Lancer as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 201 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lancer most popular?
The single biggest year for Lancer was 1970, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lancer is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lancer in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 217 people with the name Lancer, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #36,520 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Lancer in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Lancer?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lancer leans strongly male. 218 people counted with this name were male (96.9%), compared with 7 female bearers (3.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Lancer?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lancer is White at 61.3%. The next largest groups are Black (19.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Lancer most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Lancer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.3% (133 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Lancer in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lancer a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lancer in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Lancer still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lancer in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Lancer can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Lancer?
Find out how many people have the name Lancer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.