The first name Laura
A girl’s name from Latin meaning “laurel tree”.
Pronounced /lɑːɹə/ 2 syllables Female Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Latin origin
Laura means “laurel tree” in Latin.
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.
More names that mean forest.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 148 girls were named Laura, making it the 303rd most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 1996, with 3,582 births (#17).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Laura with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Laura at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 805 girls born in the United States were named Laura, the 379th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1964, when 18,967 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Laura in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Laura in Catalan, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Latin, Latvian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish and Swedish too.
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Laura
272 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Laura BushFirst Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009
- Laura Chinchilla46th President of Costa Rica, born 1959
- Laura DernAmerican actress and producer (born 1967)
- Laura PreponAmerican actress and director, born 1980
- Laura Ingalls WilderAmerican children's writer, diarist, and journalist (1867-1957)
- Laura BraniganAmerican singer and actress (1952–2004)
- Laura LinneyAmerican actress, born 1964
- Laura DahlmeierGerman biathlete (1993–2025)
- Laura MaranoAmerican actress and singer (born 1995)
- Laura RobsonBritish female tennis player, born 1994
- Laura VandervoortCanadian actress (born 1984)
- Laura HarrierAmerican actress and model, born 1990
More Latin girls’ names
Questions
- What does the name Laura mean?
- Laura means “laurel tree” in Latin.
- What is the origin of the name Laura?
- 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.
- How popular is the name Laura?
- In 2025, 148 girls born in England and Wales were named Laura, ranking 303rd. Its peak was 1996, with 3,582 births.
- What are nicknames for Laura?
- Common nicknames for Laura include Laurie, Loretta, Lauri, Lorie, Lollie, Lol.
- Is Laura a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 804,390 US babies named Laura since 1880 were girls.
- When was Laura most popular?
- 1964 in the United States, when 18,967 babies were named Laura, its highest rank at 14th.
- How do you pronounce Laura?
- Laura is /lɑːɹə/, 2 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Laura?
- Lora.
- Is Laura also a surname?
- Yes. Laura is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.