Holding steady.
Popularity of Lorelee since 1938
Babies named Lorelee per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1954, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Lorelee's real moment was 1938.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1930s | 15 |
| 1940s | 35 |
| 1950s | 64 |
| 1960s | 35 |
| 1970s | 11 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Lorelee is a rare and unconventional name that first appeared in U.S. birth records in 1938, with that year also marking its peak usage. While it has never entered the top 1000 and remains statistically negligible, its trajectory has been stable, with occasional births in select states. The name likely draws from the Germanic Lorelei, a legendary siren of the Rhine, giving it a poetic and slightly mysterious aura. Parents choosing Lorelee today are embracing a name that is distinctive without being trendy, and its rarity means a child named Lorelee is unlikely to share the name with many peers. For those drawn to lyrical, vintage-sounding names with a touch of folklore, Lorelee offers an understated alternative to more common variants like Lorelei.
Lorelee is most likely a variant of Lorelei, a name derived from German folklore. The Lorelei is a rock on the Rhine River associated with a siren whose singing lured sailors to disaster. Alternatively, Lorelee may be a modern coinage combining elements like Loretta (a diminutive of Laura, meaning 'laurel') with the popular suffix -lee. The name appeared sporadically in the United States starting in 1938, but it has never achieved widespread usage.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Lori, Lee, Lore
Sibling names for Lorelee
Names that share Lorelee's style, for a brother or sister.
