From the French region of Lorraine, derived from Latin 'Lotharingia' meaning 'kingdom of Lothar'.
Lorraine began as a place-name: the historic region in northeastern France once known in Latin as Lotharingia, "the kingdom of Lothar," after a grandson of Charlemagne. Over time Lotharingia softened through Old French into Lorraine, and the regional name eventually crossed into personal use. That gives Lorraine a layered identity uncommon in baby names: it is at once geographic, political, and melodic.
Unlike names drawn directly from saints or virtues, Lorraine carries the romance of a landscape, shaped by shifting borders, French courtly language, and the long memory of medieval Europe. As a given name, Lorraine rose especially in the English-speaking world in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when elegant French-associated names had strong appeal. It became familiar through actresses, singers, and public figures such as Lorraine Hansberry, the brilliant American playwright of A Raisin in the Sun, whose name lends the form both artistic stature and intellectual force.
The name has often been perceived as graceful and refined, with a mid-century sheen; in recent decades it has become less common, which can make it feel newly distinctive rather than dated. Literary and cultural associations often lean toward sophistication and atmosphere, helped by the famous phrase "quiche Lorraine," which kept the regional name recognizable even for people who never met a Lorraine. Today it reads as classic but underused: soft, dignified, and touched by continental history.