Lorna was invented by the English novelist R. D. Blackmore for the heroine of Lorna Doone in 1869, probably from the Scottish place name Lorne; it has no older meaning and is best glossed as "from Lorne". The novel made it a favorite in Britain for several generations. In the United States Lorna stood at number 2267 in 2000, peaked at number 2085 in 2001 and sits at number 2980 in 2025.