Lamar

Did you know?

A few things about Lamar you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Lamar

Lamar Odom

American basketball player (born 1979)

Choose Lamar and your child shares a first name with Lamar Odom, an American basketball player. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Lamar, like who?” Lamar Odom's Wikipedia article is available in 41 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Lamar Odom on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 14,859 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Lamar, 115 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Lamar would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryLamar first shows up in US birth records in 1882, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 143 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1980, when it ranked #314. Today it's #1,514, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowLamar was 2.2× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 6,868 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 14,859.
• 🍂TrendLamar has slipped 428 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,514. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedLamar is most popular in Ohio, where it ranks #627, followed by Georgia (#853) and Pennsylvania (#913). It's in the top 1,000 in 4 states.
• ⚖️Boy or girlLamar is given to both boys and girls: 86% of the 134 babies named Lamar in 2025 were boys. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
• 💬MeaningIn French, Lamar means “the pond”. Our records link it to French, German and Latin roots.

About the name Lamar

Lamar is a boy name of French, German and Latin origin meaning “the pond”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with L and ending in “-mar”. US birth records list Lamar for boys from 1882 to 2025, in 140 of those 144 years. Its best year was 1980, when it ranked #314 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,514, with 115 babies.

Origin:French namesGerman namesLatin namesOld French namesSpanish names