Laurence is the traditional British and French spelling of Lawrence, from the Latin Laurentius, "man from Laurentum", a town whose name is linked to laurus, the "laurel" that crowned victors. Saint Lawrence, the Roman deacon martyred in 258, and the actor Laurence Olivier kept the name in use. In the United States Laurence has long been overshadowed by the Lawrence spelling; it ranks number 1747 among boys' names in 2025, its best rank in the data.