# Laura (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/laura/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Latin |
| Meaning | “laurel tree” |
| Pronunciation | /lɑːɹə/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Laurie, Loretta, Lauri, Lorie, Lollie, Lol |
| Variant spellings | Lora |
| US babies named this | 804,390 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 2,579 / 801,811 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 23,616, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Late Latin saint's name Laura, from the feminine form of laurus (“laurel tree”). A post-classical name made famous by Petrarch's sonnets to Laura in the fourteenth century.

## What it means

Laura is grouped under forest.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1,171 | 273 |
| 2012 | 1,146 | 279 |
| 2013 | 1,029 | 315 |
| 2014 | 1,052 | 315 |
| 2015 | 1,016 | 320 |
| 2016 | 968 | 346 |
| 2017 | 948 | 340 |
| 2018 | 947 | 339 |
| 2019 | 951 | 337 |
| 2020 | 871 | 356 |
| 2021 | 807 | 389 |
| 2022 | 874 | 363 |
| 2023 | 846 | 362 |
| 2024 | 872 | 359 |
| 2025 | 805 | 379 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 66 | 1,354 |
| 1990 | 44 | 1,797 |
| 1991 | 31 | 2,323 |
| 1992 | 26 | 2,715 |
| 1993 | 24 | 2,910 |
| 1994 | 28 | 2,659 |
| 1995 | 12 | 4,989 |
| 1996 | 12 | 5,067 |
| 1997 | 7 | 7,777 |
| 1999 | 8 | 7,565 |
| 2000 | 10 | 6,631 |
| 2001 | 9 | 7,260 |
| 2004 | 13 | 6,009 |
| 2005 | 6 | 10,922 |
| 2011 | 5 | 13,523 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 415 | 134 |
| 2012 | 405 | 140 |
| 2013 | 359 | 146 |
| 2014 | 349 | 160 |
| 2015 | 380 | 145 |
| 2016 | 366 | 150 |
| 2017 | 372 | 145 |
| 2018 | 318 | 169 |
| 2019 | 283 | 176 |
| 2020 | 281 | 178 |
| 2021 | 284 | 180 |
| 2022 | 255 | 200 |
| 2023 | 196 | 233 |
| 2024 | 188 | 258 |
| 2025 | 148 | 303 |

## In other languages

- Catalan: Laura
- Chinese: 羅娜 /罗娜, 蘿拉 /萝拉, 勞拉 /劳拉
- Danish: Laura
- Dutch: Laura
- Esperanto: Laŭra
- Estonian: Laura
- Finnish: Laura
- French: Laura, Laure
- German: Laura
- Greek: Λαύρα
- Hebrew: לורה, לאורה
- Hungarian: Laura
- Italian: Laura
- Japanese: ローラ
- Latin: Laura
- Latvian: Laura
- Norwegian: Laura
- Polish: Laura
- Portuguese: Laura
- Romanian: Laura

## People named Laura

- Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009
- Laura Chinchilla, 46th President of Costa Rica
- Laura Dern, American actress and producer (born 1967)
- Laura Prepon, American actress and director
- Laura Ingalls Wilder, American children's writer, diarist, and journalist (1867-1957)
- Laura Branigan, American singer and actress (1952–2004)
- Laura Linney, American actress
- Laura Dahlmeier, German biathlete (1993–2025)
- Laura Marano, American actress and singer (born 1995)
- Laura Robson, British female tennis player
- Laura Vandervoort, Canadian actress (born 1984)
- Laura Harrier, American actress and model

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.