Laura
Laura was the 379th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 805 babies. Its best year was 1969, when it ranked 10th; the most babies were born in 1964 (18,967). Over the last ten years it has moved down 59 places. More babies were named Laura in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning laurel · Latin
Say it LOR-uh /ˈlɔrə/
- Rank in 2025
- #379 girls, down 23 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 805girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 196418,967 babies
- Total since 1880
- 804,390babies recorded
What does the name Laura mean?
Laura is generally linked with Latin laurus, "laurel", the plant of victory and poetry. Wiktionary derives it from a late Latin saint's name based on laurus. DMNES is more cautious, citing Withycombe that the etymology is obscure and probably connected with Laurence. Petrarch's 14th-century love poems to Laura made it popular in Renaissance Italy, and it has long been common in English.
laurus (Latin, “laurel, bay tree”)
How sure is this? Probable. DMNES calls the etymology obscure; the laurel link is the usual explanation.
Related names: Lauren, Laurel, Lora, Laurie.
See also: Latin names, names that mean tree.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Laura', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Laura', DMNES, Durham University
- Charlotte M. Yonge, History of Christian Names, new ed. (1884), index s.v. 'Laura' (19th-century work; used for dated usage facts only), Macmillan (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
Nicknames for Laura
The usual nicknames for Laura are Laurie and Lori. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Laura in the last five years, 17 were named Lori, against 7 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laurie · also for Lauren, Lawrence, Laurel | Traditional | #2,842 | 253 |
| Lori · also for Lorelai, Lorelei, Loretta | Traditional | #1,726 | 709 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Lauras go by each one.
Laura popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 2,579 since 1882.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #379 | 805 |
| 2020 | #356 | 871 |
| 2010 | #271 | 1,214 |
| 2000 | #85 | 3,741 |
| 1990 | #29 | 10,914 |
| 1980 | #21 | 12,916 |
| 1970 | #13 | 16,490 |
| 1960 | #25 | 17,060 |
| 1950 | #63 | 5,725 |
| 1940 | #108 | 2,350 |
| 1930 | #89 | 2,908 |
| 1920 | #63 | 4,171 |
| 1910 | #53 | 1,834 |
| 1900 | #45 | 1,824 |
| 1890 | #27 | 1,634 |
| 1880 | #17 | 1,012 |
How popular is Laura, counting every spelling?
Laura is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #385 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #379 for Laura on its own. Together these spellings went to 863 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laura | 805 | #379 | 4,204 |
| Lora | 58 | #2,916 | 253 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Laura?
805 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Laura (0.22 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Laura born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 10 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Laura.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Laura?
About 602,400 people born in the US named Laura are alive today, with a median age of 53; half are between 40 and 63. That makes Laura mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Laura by state
How common Laura was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Massachusetts (3.7×), Pennsylvania (2.0×), Mississippi (2.0×), Connecticut (1.8×), Kentucky (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nevada, New Hampshire, Nebraska.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Laura: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Laura, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Laura · Sibling names for Laura
Questions about the name Laura
What does Laura mean?
Laura means “laurel” (Latin origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Laura?
Laura was the 379th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 805 babies. Its best year was 1969, when it ranked 10th; the most babies were born in 1964 (18,967). Over the last ten years it has moved down 59 places. More babies were named Laura in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Laura a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Laura in the US.
Where is Laura most popular?
In 2021–2025, Laura was most common in Massachusetts (1.89 per 1,000 girls), followed by Pennsylvania and Mississippi.