LARAINE

English(mainlyU.S.): of uncertain origin, perhaps a variant spelling ofLORRAINE(SEE Lorraine) or derived from theFrenchvocabulary wordla reinemeaning ‘the queen’ (cf.RAINE(SEE Raine)). The prefixLa- has become a popular one in female names in America since the 1970s, particularly amongBlacks; the formsLakisha,Latoya,LATASHA(SEE Latasha), andLATISHA(SEE Latisha) were among the top one hundred Black female names in 1982.

Variant:Lareine.