Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Lance

Lance is an old French form of the Germanic masculine name “Lanzo” which comes from the element "land" meaning, quite obviously, ‘land, territory’. By the Middle Ages the name became more associated with the weapon known as a “lance” (from Latin ‘lancea’), a long pole-like spear we often picture medieval knights carrying valiantly on horseback. Lastly, Lance is sometimes considered a short form of Lancelot, the name borne by one of King Arthur’s best and most valued Knights of the Round Table (and the knight who – oops! – falls in love with Arthur’s queen, Guinevere, which eventually leads to the demise of Camelot). Although the name dates back to the Middle Ages, it does not appear that Lance is a 21st century favorite.

All About the Baby Name – Lance

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME LANCE

The number Eight personality has everything to do with power, wealth and abundance. Somehow, this personality has been blessed on the material plane, but their authoritative and problem-solving traits provide evidence that their good fortunes are not just the luck of the lottery. They are well earned. This is the personality of CEOs and high-ranking military personnel. Eights are intensely active, hard-driving individuals. Success is only meaningful to them after a job well-done.  They are remarkable in their ability to see the larger picture right down to the smallest details, and organize a strategy around success. They then have the ability to direct a group around them toward any goal, and realize individual potential to get the most out of their team.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME LANCE

The name Lance limped onto the U.S. male naming charts fairly uneventfully at the turn of the 20th century. Then he abruptly fell off into no-man’s “land” again. Not to worry. Lance would reappear again in 1936 and this time he meant business. The name advanced pretty quickly up the charts to impressively moderate levels of usage in a relatively short time span. By the late 1960s, it seemed clear that Lance was on his way to the Top 100 list. He even managed to hit the coveted Top 100 between 1970 and 1971 (his peak popularity was as the 76th most popular male name in 1970). Apparently Lance wanted to come back down to “land” because his stay at the top of the charts was very brief. He reversed his course in the early 1970s and began to descend back down to low levels of moderation. Lance is not a commonly used name anymore, but it is familiar. It has a soft, gentle quality unlike other snappy one-syllable masculine names. Yet the name’s association with the medieval weapon and the legends of Lancelot give Lance a ‘knightly’ handsome quality. Oh, and if you’re a dog-loving parent, then we urge you to read about the Shakespearean character Lance below.

Quick Facts

ON LANCE

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

1

RANKING POPULARITY:

570

PRONUNCIATION:

LANSE

SIMPLE MEANING:

Land, territory; Weapon, spear

Characteristics

OF LANCE

Authoritative

Powerful

Tough

Tenacious

Wealthy

Problem-solver

Achiever

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Lance

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME LANCE

Lance is a character in William Shakespeare’s comedy “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” written around 1590 and is a play about, among other things, friendship. The story revolves around Valentine and his best friend Proteus (the two gentlemen) who set off for Milan from Verona. It wouldn’t be a Shakespearean comedy without the role of a clever, almost clownish, servant and Lance is our guy. Even more lovable is Lance’s scene-stealing dog named Crab who accompanies the group to Milan. In fact, we might even say that Lance is the epitome of a devoted dog owner and we love him for that. The loyal friendship that exists between this servant (Crab) and his master (Lance) serves to juxtapose the lack of loyalty that Lance’s own master (Proteus) displays in the play. In fact, much of the play’s humor centers on Lance and Crab. In one scene Lance describes how he took a whipping for Crab after the dog pees under the Duke’s table. As the smell of the urine becomes evident at the table, Lance takes the blame for his furry friend, and therefore the punishment. He concludes by saying: “How many masters would do this for his servant?” (4.4.1). Yes, uproariously funny, but also very poignant. As they say, a dog is man’s best friend – but at least in this Shakespeare play, Lance is dog’s best friend.

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME LANCE

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Lance


Popular Songs

ON LANCE

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Lance


Famous People

NAMED LANCE

Lance Armstrong (cyclist)
Lance Bass (pop musician)
Lance Berkman (baseball player)
Lance Cade (wrestler)
Lance Henriksen (actor)
Lance Ito (judge in the O.J. Simpson murder trial)
Lance Moore (football player)

Children of Famous People

NAMED LANCE

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Lance

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME LANCE

Lance Armstrong holds a major place in the history of sports as a road racing cyclist. A Texas native and originally a swimmer, Armstrong found a love for road-bike racing when he entered a triathlon at the age of 13. He would go on to win a record breaking seven consecutive Tour de France competitions (1999-2005). What is more remarkable than Lance Armstrong’s victories on the road-bike were his victories off. As a survivor of testicular cancer (which metastasized to the lungs and brain) he came close to death in 1996. Young, fit, and aggressive with his treatment, Lance beat the odds. He became a worldwide inspiration. As a result of his almost super-human achievements, Lance Armstrong has won numerous sportsman and athletic awards and brought more attention and interest to his sport. He has also raised millions of dollars to support cancer research.