Layce
A feminine given name of uncertain origin, potentially a variant spelling of Lacy or Lacey.
Name Census estimates that about 183 living Americans carry the first name Layce. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Layce today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Layce births was 2007 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Layce. 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
183
~ 1 in 1,872,975 Americans
Peak year
2007
16 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2014 SSA rank
#18,054
Tracked since 1980
Census
Layce in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 229 people with the first name Layce, which placed it at #35,223 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
#35,223
National first-name rank
People counted
229
229 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
73.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Layce
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Layce is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Hispanic (6.1%). 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 Layce 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 Layce at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.4% · 168
- Black or African American11.8% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 14
- Two or more races5.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 3
Popularity
Layce: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Layce from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 65 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Layce remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Layce 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 Layce during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Layce
The name Layce is a relatively uncommon given name with roots that can be traced back to various cultures and time periods. It is believed to have originated from the Old French word "lays," which means "song" or "lay." This connection suggests that the name may have been initially used to refer to someone who was a skilled singer or storyteller.
In the Middle Ages, the term "lay" was often associated with secular poetry and narratives, as opposed to religious or liturgical works. Layce could have been a name bestowed upon individuals who excelled in the art of composing and reciting these types of poetic tales.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Layce can be found in medieval French literature. One notable example is the 13th-century romance "Lays de Marie de France," a collection of narrative poems written by the renowned French poet Marie de France. It is possible that the name Layce was inspired by or derived from the title of this influential work.
Throughout history, several individuals have borne the name Layce, though their stories and accomplishments are not widely documented. One such person was Layce de Montfort (c. 1220-1278), a French noblewoman who played a role in the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars in southern France.
Another noteworthy figure was Layce de Baux (1295-1348), a member of the influential House of Baux in Provence, France. She was known for her involvement in various political and religious conflicts of her time.
In the 15th century, there was a record of a Layce de Clermont (1410-1479), a French aristocrat who held significant land and titles in the region of Auvergne.
Moving forward in time, Layce Beaumont (1582-1631) was an English courtier and landowner who served under King James I and played a role in the early colonization efforts in Virginia.
Finally, Layce Desbordes-Valmore (1786-1859) was a French Romantic poet and novelist who gained recognition for her lyrical works and her contributions to the literary salons of her era.
While the name Layce has not achieved widespread popularity throughout history, it carries a rich heritage rooted in the traditions of medieval storytelling, poetry, and the arts. Its unique sound and meaning have undoubtedly contributed to its enduring, though rare, presence across various cultures and time periods.
People
Layce + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Layce 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
Layce: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Layce?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 183 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Layce 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 1,872,975 US residents.
Is Layce a common name?
We classify Layce as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 189 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Layce most popular?
The single biggest year for Layce was 2007, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Layce is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Layce in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 229 people with the name Layce, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #35,223 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 Layce 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 Layce?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Layce leans strongly female. 221 people counted with this name were female (94.4%), compared with 13 male bearers (5.6%). 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 Layce?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Layce is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Hispanic (6.1%). 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 Layce most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Layce in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.4% (168 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 Layce in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Layce a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Layce in the SSA data are female. 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 Layce still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Layce 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 Layce 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 common is the name Layce?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.