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Home › Baby Names Directory › Lurline

Lurline

♀ Girl

Pronounced lur-LEEN /lɚˈliːn/High

Meaning: Lurline is a nineteenth-century literary name for the water-siren of the Rhine, a poetic cousin of Lorelei, the rock and nymph whose name is linked to German luren, 'to lure', and Ley, 'rock'. It carries that legend of enchanting song.Medium

In 30 seconds: Lurline is a vintage literary name for the Rhine water-siren, a cousin of Lorelei. Popular around 1900, it crested in 1921 and later named a famous ocean liner.
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Origin MediumGerman
MeaningLurline is a nineteenth-century literary name for the water-siren of the Rhine, a poetic cousin of Lorelei, the rock and nymph whose name is linked to German luren, 'to lure', and Ley, 'rock'. It carries that legend of enchanting song.
U.S. rank (1970)#8764 ↘ Falling
1970 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1921
Total births (all-time)≈ 1,885

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 192118871970

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Lurline comes from the Romantic-era legend of the Rhine, a lyrical variant of Lorelei, the siren whose singing lured boatmen onto the rocks; the root is often tied to German luren, 'to lure'. Popularized by operas and poems in the eighteen-hundreds, it entered American use as a graceful, exotic-sounding girls' name and appears in United States records from the late nineteenth century.

Lurline reached its high point around 1921 and had largely faded by mid-century, giving it a genuinely antique feel. A woman named Lurline at its peak would be past a hundred today; the name sits in the great-grandmother tier and has not joined the vintage-name revival, though it shares the sound of Lorraine and Pauline.

Did you know? Lurline was the name of a celebrated Matson ocean liner that sailed between California and Hawaii, and of the water-fairy heroine of nineteenth-century operas and poems — a name steeped in song and sea.
Overall data confidence 60%
References — Lurline — Literary Rhine-siren name, cousin of Lorelei; SSA peak 1921

Variations

LoreleiLurleenLurlene

Nicknames

LuLurlie

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Lurline…

Lorelei— the Rhine-siren name Lurline is drawn from
Lorraine— a like early-century -aine ending French-flavored name
Maurine— a same-era vintage -ine girls' name
Pauline— another turn-of-century -ine classic in the same style

Explore names like Lurline

By themevintagetwo-syllableliteraryantique

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Lurline mean?

Lurline is a literary name for the Rhine water-siren, a cousin of Lorelei, tied to German luren, 'to lure'.

How do you pronounce Lurline?

It's said lur-LEEN /lɚˈliːn/ — two syllables, stress on the second.

Is Lurline a boy or girl name?

Lurline is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Lurline?

Lurline was an uncommon name that crested in the early nineteen-twenties and has been rare since; it has not returned with other vintage names.

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