The baby name Lars blends classic style with Scandi heritage.
Thanks to Kristin for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day: Lars.
WHAT DOES THE NAME LARS MEAN?
The Latin name Laurentius referred to an ancient city. Laurentum, in turn, took its name from the Latin word for laurel.
But it’s so much more.
A laurel wreath has been a traditional symbol of victory since ancient days. The Greek god Apollo sported such a crown. Terms like “poet laureate” still refer to the custom.
Laurel is sometimes a synonym for any honor. For example, film festivals and other award programs typically award them. Celebrated movies or plays may have multiple awards mentioned on their posters, every one surrounded by laurels, like a pair of fancy brackets.
SAINT LAURENCE
The name Laurentius filtered into use across Europe thanks to Saint Laurence.
During the third century, Laurence served as something of a finance officer, distributing alms to the poor.
A local government official in Rome ordered him to round up the riches of his church and hand ’em over.
Laurence gathered the poor and presented them as the true wealth of his faith.
Legend has it that he was roasted alive. He’s the patron saint invoked against fire. Because Catholics love a gory saint story, Laurence is also the patron saint of chefs and restaurant owners.
His death is the subject of much medieval artwork.
LAURENCE, LAWRENCE, LARRY, AND MORE
Thanks to the gutsy and grisly tale, this name is heard across Europe and the English-speaking world.
- It’s also spelled Lawrence. Originally this was the preferred form of the last name, but now it’s just more common in English.
- Nickname Larry became a popular independent first name from the 1930s into the 50s.
- The French Laurent lives on in high fashion, thanks to Yves Saint Laurent.
- Italian form Lorenzo is enjoying a rise in use, with so many O-ending names for boys. Nickname Enzo is a popular choice, too.
- Larkin is medieval diminutive form of Laurence, but today it reads more like a feminine name based on Lark.
So where does the baby name Lars come in?
SCANDI FAVORITE
By the sixteenth century, Lars was a common form of the name used in Scandinavia. It’s also heard in German and Dutch-speaking countries.
Famous men by the name of Lars are plentiful. They lend the name a rich history, but also a heavy metal undercurrent.
- Guitar legend Yngwie Malmsteen’s given name was Lars.
- Rancid’s Lars Frederiksen was born in California, but his mom was born in Denmark.
- Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich truly puts the heavy metal umlaut in Lars. The Danish-born drummer and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has had a successful career since the early 1980s. Metallica has racked up multiple Grammy awards. Along with founding member James Hetfield, Ulrich wrote most of the band’s songs.
Two movie Lars connections might also come to mind:
- Quirky little indie flick Lars and the Real Girl made waves in 2007.
- Danish film director and Lars von Trier’s career is riddled with hateful comments and indefensible choices, but you may have seen his work. Kirsten Dunst won a best actress awards at Cannes for her performance in 2011’s Melancholia. (So yes, there are laurels on the DVD case and movie posters.)
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME LARS?
The baby name Lars ranked in the US Top 1000 steadily from 1958 through 1976, and a few times before and since. The name’s last appearance was in 1984, with an all-time high rank of #737 in 1961.
The name’s popularity has waxed and waned since. As of 2023, 66 boys received the name. That’s on the low side, but still not too terribly obscure.
With names like Axel and Magnus popular, Lars might fit right in with the Scandi energy. It’s also an S-ending name, which puts it in the company of choices like Brooks and
STRENGTH AND SUBSTANCE
From Ancient Rome to stadium concerts, there’s a confidence and courage around Lars.
It’s masculine and strong, but not particularly aggressive. The Latin origin gives this name a solid meaning, too.
If you’re looking for a Scandi heritage choice that’s familiar in English, but not too common, Lars might be the perfect name.
What do you think of the baby name Lars?
First published on December 21, 2011, this post was updated November 11, 2013 and again on May 6, 2025.
Well, we have officially decided. This baby boy will be Lars Anselm! After much tumult and disagreement this time around, we are super happy with where we landed, even though it wasn’t at all what we both thought in the beginning.
Kenna, it’s a wonderful name! Congrats on the choice. So happy for you.
my son was born in 1982, and is a Junior. His father and I discussed from the beginning our first son would be a Junior. My son’s father is named Lawrence Dean, but goes by Larry.
My name was so popular in the sixties and seventies that when we were told to sit in alphabetical order, there were 5 of us with the same name. My brother’s name was so common that every male (except my father) was named the same name – extremely confusing.
So I desperately wanted names for my children that would be unique enough to let them “shine” yet not too weird that they would be teased. Their last name is polish. In the sixties and seventies, polish-jokes were so common, I worried when I got pregnant that we had to name the children names that would make their last name not the name that stuck.
I did not want to call him Little Larry, Little Lawrence or Larry Junior. My name is Laurie-Anne which has the same meaning as Lawrence. So after some long discussions, it was decided to make him a Lawrence Junior and call him Lars, as it is the Norwegian form of Lawrence/Laurence.
When my son was in school, some of the kids tried to say Lars from Mars, but that was just teasing. He was hurt by this teasing, and for a few years as an adult he would go by Lawrence. But today, he is Lars AGAIN.
He has decided it is a strong name for a Man, but still soft enough to not make him feel too tough.
It should be noted that my son is well over 6 foot tall, and has a 22 inch neck. He has been in the US Army for 19 years, and is a First Sergeant.
He has spent the majority of his career in combat zones, and so he is accustomed to having his last name most commonly used.
So at home, with family and friends Lars is much preferred.
Fast forward to 2015, my son and his wife are pregnant and they discover that they are having a son. Lars said from the beginning that if he had a son, it would be the Lawrence Dean, III. So back to the name to call this little one. Well, that was also predetermined in the early days -it would be Trey.
I cannot help but wonder if Trey will use Lars when he is older, for professional purposes or use Lawrence.
Only time will tell.
But naming a child is really important. That name has to fit a little innocent baby, yet be strong enough to be professional.
A great story, Laurie-Ann – thank you for sharing!
I love the name Lars! So much in fact we named our first son Lars, born in 2010. My husband is of Dutch and Danish heritage although the name was picked as we both liked it many years before we got married and had our son. He suits the name very much and we have had a lot of comments on what a great name it is and how much they like it. I couldn’t picture him with any other name, but the hard part is now to come up with a sibling name (not sure yet if we are having a boy or girl) that is as unique (in Austalia) yet not too off beat…
our 3 yr old son is named lars, short for larsen. lars larsen is a name on my mother’s side. i think its an amazing name. we love his name, never have to worry about him being confused with another lars at school, for sure. and are searching for something just as interesting for our 2nd, due in october.
Update: We had a baby boy and while my husband favored Lars throughout my pregnancy, after watching me having a natural birth, he was in awe and would have named him anything I wanted I think!:) Actually, after meeting him and sleeping on it for a night, we both decided he was more of a Hugo. So little Hugo Kenneth it is.
I think Lars is a great choice if you have Scandinavian heritage (which we don’t) and want a unique name (it’s not in the top 1000 in the U.S).
Congrats on the birth of baby Hugo! Great name. 🙂
I *want* to like Lars — though, while I am a huge fan of Metallica’s music, I generally dislike Lars Ulrich as a person. 🙁 He taints the name for me, which is sad because I’ve been in love with Loren/Lauren and Laurie for boys since I was in grade school. Larkin is nice too. Lawson is my aunt’s maiden name.
This also brings to mind tennis player Stanislas Wawrinka, the Swiss-born son of a German-born man of Czech ancestry, whose surname is a Polish form of Laurence. [Interesting tidbits: his sisters are Djana
Thanks for profiling–I’m the one who wrote to you about this name.
Well, my husband and I are expecting our second baby (gender a surprise) any day now. My husband loves the name Lars while I prefer Hugo. I like what you wrote about Lars and it definitely makes me like the name more. I find the name sounds weird coming out of my mouth and I can’t get over that it rhymes with Mars. I wish there was a third name that we both love. I’m thinking this all might mean we are having another girl in which case her name is settled:)
Funny, the only L@wrence I know is my husband’s 14 year old nephew and he does not wear a bowtie, haha! I know he was named for his grandfather, and his 12 year old sister has a much more modern sounding and trendy name (Bre@nna).
I really do like Laurence but I absolutely love Lars. It’s too bad we don’t have any Nordic heritage, I would love to have a little Lars and a little Ingrid. I do think though, that if paired with a non Scandinavian sibling name that Lars really isn’t too out there. In fact, I would love to see brothers named Lars and Conan 🙂
Lars is my father’s middle name. I’ve heard him comment in the past about how his middle name seems out of place amongst the rest of his family’s more traditional German-Canadian-names-from-the-fifties (e.g. Harry, Peter, Charles, Betty, etc.). I’ve always liked Lars, but it’s a bit too short for me to consider as a first name.
One story my dad’s family likes to tell is of when someone once asked my dad what his middle name was. He responded with something like, “It rhymes with a planet and begins with the letter L.” The person then began guessing, “Lercury? Lupiter? Luranus?” If I remember the story correctly, they never did come up with Lars and had to be told the name.