Lars

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Lars

Lars von Trier

Danish film director and screenwriter (born 1956)

Choose Lars and your child shares a first name with Lars von Trier, a Danish film director and screenwriter. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Lars, like who?” Lars von Trier's Wikipedia article is available in 82 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Lars von Trier on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

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

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 20,576 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Lars, 83 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Lars would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryLars first shows up in US birth records in 1883, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 142 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 1883, when it reached #720.
• 🍂TrendLars has slipped 88 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,886. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedLars is most popular in Minnesota, where it ranks #586, followed by Washington (#639) and Utah (#703). It's in the top 1,000 in 3 states.
• 💬MeaningLars is a Scandinavian form of Laurence, which means “from Laurentum”.

About the name Lars

Lars is a boy name meaning “from Laurentum”. It has 4 letters and 1 syllable, starting with L and ending in “-ars”. US birth records list Lars for boys from 1883 to 2025, in 120 of those 143 years. Its best year was 1883, when it ranked #720 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,886, with 83 babies.