Laurence
Laurence is a man's name in the United States and a woman's name in France and Belgium. Which country the person is from decides the answer.
This name's gender leans differently depending on the country — check the table below before you assume.
- Verdict
- Depends on the country
- Male / female split
- 78% male / 22% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, France, Belgium
- US births since 1880
- 39,179 male / 454 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Laurence
To address Laurence when you do not know their gender, use the full name with no title: "Dear Laurence," in English, "Guten Tag Laurence," in German. Laurence is a man's name in the United States and a woman's name in France, so the right greeting depends entirely on their country. Ask directly if you are unsure.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Laurence,
German
Guten Tag Laurence,
French
Bonjour Laurence,
Spanish
Estimado/a Laurence:
Chinese
Laurence您好：
Japanese
Laurence様
English
Hi Laurence,
German
Hi Laurence,
French
Salut Laurence,
Spanish
Hola Laurence,
Chinese
Laurence你好：
Japanese
Laurenceさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | man's name | 99% |
| France | common | woman's name | 2% |
| Belgium | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Luxembourg | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Switzerland | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Great Britain | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Ireland | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Malta | rare | man's name | 98% |
United States birth data
39,179 male · 454 female · 39,633 births recorded
Since 1980: 98% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Laurence a male or female name?
Laurence is a man's name in the United States and a woman's name in France and Belgium. Which country the person is from decides the answer.
How do I address Laurence in an email?
To address Laurence when you do not know their gender, use the full name with no title: "Dear Laurence," in English, "Guten Tag Laurence," in German. Laurence is a man's name in the United States and a woman's name in France, so the right greeting depends entirely on their country. Ask directly if you are unsure.
Is Laurence a unisex name?
Laurence is not a unisex name: 78% of people named Laurence are men. The gender leans heavily on which country the person is from.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Laurence a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/laurence (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_laurence,
title = {Is Laurence a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/laurence},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}