Meaning of the nameLaís
- Female
- Greek origin
- La-ís
Laís is a female name, the Portuguese form of Greek Lais, which came through Latin; the proposed meanings differ and none is certain.
Meaning
The meaning of Laís is not known for certain. No reliable source documents it, so we give none; below are the origin of the spelling and the official figures.
- People (2022)
- 164,122
- Rank in Brazil
- #201
- Median age
- 21 years
- 2010 Census
- 131,361
- people
Laís in the 2022 Census
People with the first name Laís, by the decade they were born. In the chart, 70 = the 1970s and 20+ = 2020 to 2022. The largest group was born in the 1990s (50,486 people).
163,322 women 800 men
Source: IBGE, 2022 Demographic Census, Nomes no Brasil. The census counts the first name of people alive in 2022; small counts are not published, and the first group covers everyone born before 1940. How to read these data.
Where the name Laís is most common
States with the highest share of people named Laís in the population, in the 2022 Census.
- Alagoas 0.096%
- Bahia 0.096%
- São Paulo 0.094%
- Pernambuco 0.094%
- Sergipe 0.092%
All states
| State | People | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | 41,889 | 0.094% |
| Minas Gerais | 17,563 | 0.086% |
| Rio de Janeiro | 14,020 | 0.087% |
| Bahia | 13,532 | 0.096% |
| Pernambuco | 8,487 | 0.094% |
| Paraná | 7,968 | 0.070% |
| Rio Grande do Sul | 6,572 | 0.060% |
| Santa Catarina | 5,859 | 0.077% |
| Ceará | 5,775 | 0.066% |
| Goiás | 5,202 | 0.074% |
| Pará | 4,746 | 0.058% |
| Maranhão | 4,181 | 0.062% |
| Espírito Santo | 3,421 | 0.089% |
| Paraíba | 3,308 | 0.083% |
| Alagoas | 2,996 | 0.096% |
| Amazonas | 2,890 | 0.073% |
| Distrito Federal | 2,495 | 0.089% |
| Mato Grosso do Sul | 2,372 | 0.086% |
| Mato Grosso | 2,191 | 0.060% |
| Sergipe | 2,041 | 0.092% |
| Piauí | 1,781 | 0.054% |
| Rio Grande do Norte | 1,535 | 0.047% |
| Rondônia | 944 | 0.060% |
| Tocantins | 938 | 0.062% |
| Acre | 560 | 0.068% |
| Amapá | 479 | 0.065% |
| Roraima | 377 | 0.059% |
States with fewer than 15 people with the name are not shown: IBGE does not publish those counts.
About the name Laís
Behind the Name gives Laís as the Portuguese form of Greek Lais and marks the meaning as unknown. The Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil (Dictionary of Names in Use in Brazil) records the path from Greek through Latin and two diverging readings: José Pedro Machado links the name to a Greek term for 'spoils', and Guérios ties it to laós, 'people'. The same dictionary observes that the name appears with and without an accent, in Brazil and in Portugal. In the 2022 Census, IBGE recorded 164,122 people named Lais, with a median age of 21; proportionally, it is most common in Alagoas.
It is the most recorded spelling in the group and the only one with the accent on the I, which marks the hiatus.
Other spellings of Laís
Sources
- Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil: Laís · dicionariodenomesdobrasil.com.br · origin
- Behind the Name: Laís · behindthename.com · origin
- Behind the Name: Lais · behindthename.com · origin
- Wiktionary: Laís · en.wiktionary.org · spelling
Questions about the name Laís
What does the name Laís mean?
The meaning of Laís is not known for certain: no reliable source documents it. So we give no meaning; the page shows the origin of the spelling and the official figures.
How many people are named Laís in Brazil?
IBGE's 2022 Census recorded 164,122 people with the first name Laís, which ranks it number 201 among the country's names. The largest group was born in the 1990s.
Is Laís a boy's or a girl's name?
Laís is a female name: in the 2022 Census, 163,322 women and 800 men had this name.
What is the origin of the name Laís?
Laís is a name of Greek origin. The sources are listed at the end of the page.
In which Brazilian state is Laís most common?
Proportionally, in Alagoas: 0.096% of the state's population is named Laís (2,996 people), according to the 2022 Census.
What are the other spellings of Laís?
Lays and Laiz. IBGE counts each spelling separately.
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Spotted a mistake? Report a correction for Laís with a source. See the methodology.