Lorraine

Meaning of Lorraine

Lorraine began as a toponym—literally “from Lorraine,” the storied region in northeastern France once known as Lotharingia, or “the realm of Lothar.” Adopted into English at the close of the 19th century, the name carried a faint scent of continental romance without burdening Anglophone tongues, hence its steady rise stateside until it brushed the American Top 50 in the 1920s. Usage has tapered since, yet roughly 150 U.S. girls still receive the name each year, keeping it on the charts in quiet defiance of trend forecasts. Cultural footnotes are varied: jazz standard “Sweet Lorraine,” actress Lorraine Bracco, and even Back to the Future’s Lorraine Baines add a mix of sophistication, grit, and pop-culture nostalgia. For parents who appreciate a French flourish but prefer their spelling bee drama kept to a minimum, Lorraine offers a pragmatic, time-tested middle path—familiar, unpretentious, and just uncommon enough to earn a second glance.