Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Larry

Larry is the short form of Lawrence/Laurence. The name originates from the Latin Laurentius essentially meaning "someone from Laurentum.” Laurentum was an ancient Roman city in the Latium region southwest of Rome, and some Roman historians considered it as the first capital of the Latins. As such, Laurentius was a common Roman given name during the classical era, and the name has persisted for millennia through the Middle Ages and into modern times in many forms (Laurence, Lawrence, Lars, Lorenz, Lorenzo, etc). The name of the ancient city of Laurentum may have been derived from the Latin word “laurus” which means ‘laurel’ (a symbol of wisdom and accomplishment). In antiquity, the laurel crown was given to those who had demonstrated remarkable achievements. The pet form Larry has been used as an independently given name, although mainly in the United States.

All About the Baby Name – Larry

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME LARRY

The number 11 is a Master Number, and embodies heightened traits of the Two. This personality is on a life journey to find spiritual truth. They are extremely idealistic and intuitive. Elevens have a rare and exceptional spiritual energy that brings a sense of obligation to illuminate the world around them. It's a very powerful responsibility, but these people have far more potential than they know. It's important that they surrender to higher ideals. They have the capacity to see the bigger picture, and they possess the skills to inspire others spiritually. Elevens have strong diplomatic skills and can become great peacemakers. Master numbers can be both a blessing and a curse, as they walk the fine line between greatness and the potential for self-destruction.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME LARRY

Surprisingly, Larry has been nearly as (if not sometime more) popular than his big brother Lawrence in the history of American naming practices. As a nickname, we would have expected to see Larry quite a bit less popular than the more distinguished full name of Lawrence/Laurence. Nope. It appears as if American parents really like simple nicknames as independently given names. This is a trend more specific to the United States compared to other English speaking nations, and it continues to be popular today. Other high or moderately ranked examples of this include: Sam, Jack, Jake, Max, Leo, Andy, and Danny. We prefer full names over nicknames simply because they provide your child with greater flexibility in adulthood. There’s still no reason why you can’t use the pet form in life; but at least you have that choice. Larry is like Jerry and Terry (and Ronny and Donny for that matter). SO mid-century. Consider Lorenzo, Lars or Lowry if you want to jazz up this outdated name.

Quick Facts

ON LARRY

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

American

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

477

PRONUNCIATION:

LAIR-ee

SIMPLE MEANING:

Man from Laurentum

Characteristics

OF LARRY

Inspirational

Highly Intuitive

Spiritual Teacher

Extremely Bright

Uplifting

Truth-seeker

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Larry

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME LARRY

My Ántonia, written in 1918, is considered Willa Cather’s greatest achievement. It revolves around the free-spirited Bohemian girl (Ántonia) and her friends growing up in Black Hawk, Nebraska during the era of pioneers. Larry is the boy who uses Ántonia’s infatuation with him to his advantage. After asking her to marry him, Larry impregnates her, steals her money and runs off without her. Not exactly the most sympathetic of characters, huh? Jim, the novel’s narrator, really dislikes him (but then again, Jim is secretly in love with Ántonia). As a transient passenger conductor on a railroad, Larry freely lives the life of a womanizer. But high-spirited Ántonia nonetheless raises her (and Larry’s) child alone with the same determination, fearlessness and resolve that is representative of the brave people who settled the American west.

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME LARRY

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Larry


Popular Songs

ON LARRY

Hats off to Larry
a song by Del Shannon

Hey Larry
a song by Dean Friedman

I Remember Larry
a song by Weird Al Yankovic

I Still Like Larry
a song by Five Iron Frenzy

Just Like Larry
a song by Dispatch

Larry
a song by Buffalo Tom

Larry The Logger Two-Step
a song by Doobie Brothers

Famous People

NAMED LARRY

Larry Bird (basketball player)
Larry Page (co-founder of Google)
Larry King (TV personality)
Larry Hagman (actor)
Larry Flynt (founder of Penthouse)
Larry Brown (basketball coach)
Larry Doby (baseball player)
Larry Little (football player)
Larry MacPhail (baseball)
Larry Murphy (hockey player)
Larry Robinson (hockey player)
Larry Walker (baseball player)
Larry Wilson (football player)
Larry Fitzgerald (football player)
Larry Bird (basketball player)
Larry Page (co-founder of Google)
Larry King (TV personality)
Larry Hagman (actor)
Larry Flynt (founder of Penthouse)
Larry Brown (basketball coach)
Larry Doby (baseball player)
Larry Little (football player)
Larry MacPhail (baseball)
Larry Murphy (hockey player)
Larry Robinson (hockey player)
Larry Walker (baseball player)
Larry Wilson (football player)
Larry Fitzgerald (football player)
Larry Bird (basketball player)
Larry Page (co-founder of Google)
Larry King (TV personality)
Larry Hagman (actor)
Larry Flynt (founder of Penthouse)
Larry Brown (basketball coach)
Larry Doby (baseball player)
Larry Little (football player)
Larry MacPhail (baseball)
Larry Murphy (hockey player)
Larry Robinson (hockey player)
Larry Walker (baseball player)
Larry Wilson (football player)
Larry Fitzgerald (football player)

Children of Famous People

NAMED LARRY

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

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME LARRY

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Larry