Girl nameCurrently #359 in the USSteady
Laura
LOR-uh//ˈlɔːrə//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19645 lettersStarts with L
Meaning & origin
Laurel tree
Laura comes from the Latin 'laurus', meaning laurel tree, whose leaves crowned victors and poets in ancient Rome as a symbol of honor and achievement. A long-standing classic across many European languages, it remains gently popular today.
Laura's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Laura |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 1,012 |
| 1881 | 962 |
| 1882 | 1,156 |
| 1883 | 1,183 |
| 1884 | 1,246 |
| 1885 | 1,325 |
| 1886 | 1,377 |
| 1887 | 1,370 |
| 1888 | 1,635 |
| 1889 | 1,567 |
| 1890 | 1,643 |
| 1891 | 1,515 |
| 1892 | 1,749 |
| 1893 | 1,690 |
| 1894 | 1,730 |
| 1895 | 1,648 |
| 1896 | 1,665 |
| 1897 | 1,592 |
| 1898 | 1,782 |
| 1899 | 1,472 |
| 1900 | 1,831 |
| 1901 | 1,402 |
| 1902 | 1,565 |
| 1903 | 1,503 |
| 1904 | 1,513 |
| 1905 | 1,574 |
| 1906 | 1,474 |
| 1907 | 1,627 |
| 1908 | 1,565 |
| 1909 | 1,524 |
| 1910 | 1,840 |
| 1911 | 1,797 |
| 1912 | 2,422 |
| 1913 | 2,461 |
| 1914 | 3,069 |
| 1915 | 3,728 |
| 1916 | 3,753 |
| 1917 | 3,822 |
| 1918 | 4,075 |
| 1919 | 3,679 |
| 1920 | 4,179 |
| 1921 | 4,017 |
| 1922 | 3,922 |
| 1923 | 3,723 |
| 1924 | 3,844 |
| 1925 | 3,600 |
| 1926 | 3,393 |
| 1927 | 3,357 |
| 1928 | 3,159 |
| 1929 | 2,947 |
| 1930 | 2,924 |
| 1931 | 2,682 |
| 1932 | 2,772 |
| 1933 | 2,547 |
| 1934 | 2,449 |
| 1935 | 2,378 |
| 1936 | 2,269 |
| 1937 | 2,382 |
| 1938 | 2,451 |
| 1939 | 2,386 |
| 1940 | 2,363 |
| 1941 | 2,285 |
| 1942 | 2,421 |
| 1943 | 2,403 |
| 1944 | 2,251 |
| 1945 | 3,595 |
| 1946 | 4,495 |
| 1947 | 5,063 |
| 1948 | 4,916 |
| 1949 | 5,384 |
| 1950 | 5,746 |
| 1951 | 6,479 |
| 1952 | 7,206 |
| 1953 | 7,650 |
| 1954 | 8,742 |
| 1955 | 9,028 |
| 1956 | 10,591 |
| 1957 | 12,204 |
| 1958 | 13,536 |
| 1959 | 14,562 |
| 1960 | 17,093 |
| 1961 | 17,934 |
| 1962 | 17,532 |
| 1963 | 18,578 |
| 1964 | 19,008 |
| 1965 | 16,265 |
| 1966 | 15,586 |
| 1967 | 15,860 |
| 1968 | 18,798 |
| 1969 | 17,976 |
| 1970 | 16,545 |
| 1971 | 13,941 |
| 1972 | 11,818 |
| 1973 | 10,387 |
| 1974 | 9,758 |
| 1975 | 10,343 |
| 1976 | 11,297 |
| 1977 | 11,355 |
| 1978 | 11,279 |
| 1979 | 11,938 |
| 1980 | 12,972 |
| 1981 | 13,346 |
| 1982 | 13,373 |
| 1983 | 13,259 |
| 1984 | 14,881 |
| 1985 | 16,068 |
| 1986 | 14,230 |
| 1987 | 13,088 |
| 1988 | 12,185 |
| 1989 | 11,808 |
| 1990 | 10,958 |
| 1991 | 9,675 |
| 1992 | 8,337 |
| 1993 | 7,284 |
| 1994 | 6,888 |
| 1995 | 6,020 |
| 1996 | 5,239 |
| 1997 | 4,858 |
| 1998 | 4,298 |
| 1999 | 3,886 |
| 2000 | 3,750 |
| 2001 | 3,572 |
| 2002 | 3,158 |
| 2003 | 2,750 |
| 2004 | 2,569 |
| 2005 | 2,361 |
| 2006 | 2,066 |
| 2007 | 1,843 |
| 2008 | 1,593 |
| 2009 | 1,412 |
| 2010 | 1,214 |
| 2011 | 1,175 |
| 2012 | 1,146 |
| 2013 | 1,029 |
| 2014 | 1,052 |
| 2015 | 1,016 |
| 2016 | 968 |
| 2017 | 948 |
| 2018 | 946 |
| 2019 | 951 |
| 2020 | 868 |
| 2021 | 805 |
| 2022 | 873 |
| 2023 | 845 |
| 2024 | 868 |
Laura through the decades
- Laura peaked in 1964, when 19,008 babies were named Laura in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Laura has fallen 39% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Laura currently ranks #359 in the US and is holding steady.
Nicknames
Laurie
Variants & spellings
LaurenLaure
Famous people named Laura
- Laura Ingalls Wilder — author