Laura is a female given name in Latin, Western Europe and North America whose meaning ("Bay Laurel") translates to victor, and an early hypocorism from Laurel and Lauren.
Origin and usage
The name Laura is the feminized form of laurus, Latin for "bay laurel plant", which in the Greco-Roman era was used as a symbol of victory, honor or fame. The name represents the embodiment of victory and strength. The name Daphne, derived from Ancient Greek, carries the same meaning.
In British North America, it is very likely that the name Laura was extremely popular for female newborns until its rapid decline starting in the late 19th century. The name Laura was among the top 40 names for female newborns for much of the late 19th century in the United States until it dropped off the chart in 1899 at #43. The overall highest known rank for the name Laura in the 19th century was #17 in the years 1880 and 1882 with the male name Samuel. Running up, the name Laura in the 19th century was #19 in 1881 and 1883 with the male name Louis. The name Laura was among the top 50 names for female newborns for much of the early 20th century in the United States, but dropped to the top 100-120 by the 1930s-40s, then rebounded to the top 20 in 1984-1986, and has since steadily decreased in popularity. The overall highest known rank for the name Laura in the 20th century is #10 in 1969 with the male name Richard. The latest highest known rank for the name Laura in the 20th century is #14 in 1985 with the male name Jason. The name Laura was the most rare in the years 1887, 1888, 1890, 1891, 1893, 1897, 1898, 1905, 1963, and 1968.
In Europe, the name Laura remains as popular as it was in the past. In the early 21st century in the late 2000s, it ranked within the top 10 in countries such as Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Greenland, Luxembourg, Spain, and Switzerland.
The name is occasionally confused or conjoined with the name Lara (pronounced LAR-ruh) which is a totally different name and is listed separately on name popularity lists.
Lára: IcelandicLara: TurkishLaoura (Λάουρα): GreekLaura: Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovene, Spanish, SwedishLaurica: RussianLaure: FrenchLavra: SloveneLora: EnglishLowri: WelshNo surnameLaura Gomez, Filipino, Bisaya, Bisdak, GwapaEmma Laura, Mexican actressLaura de Noves, the subject of love poetry by PetrarchSaint Laura, Spanish martyrCelebritiesLaura Ashley, Welsh fashion designerLaura Biagiotti, Italian fashion designerLaura Brown (fashion journalist), American fashion journalistLaura Bush, First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001 to January 20, 2009Laura Calder, Canadian chef and host of program French Food at Home, from Food Network CanadaLaura Deming, American scientistLaura Eldridge, American women's health writer and activistLaura Goode, American novelistLaura Ingalls Wilder, American author of Little House on the PrairieLaura J. Burns, American authorLaura Lang, American businesswomanLaura Ling, American journalistLaura Mancinelli, Italian authorLaura Mercier, French make-up artist in the cosmetics businessLaura Miller (journalist), Scottish broadcast journalistLaura Miller (writer), American authorLaura Neri, Italian-Greek directorLaura Schlessinger, American radio talk show host known as Dr. LauraLaura Schwartz, American political commentatorLaura Secord, Canadian heroine in the War of 1812Laura Thompson, CBC News anchorLaura Trant, British journalistEntertainersL'Aura, Italian singerLaura Allen, American actressLaura Bailey (model), English modelLaura Bailey (voice actress), American voice actressLaura Benanti, American actressLaura Bertram, Canadian actressLaura Birn, Finnish actressLaura Branigan, American singerLaura Breckenridge, American actressLaura Bryan Birn, American actressLaura Bryna, American country music singerLaura Bell Bundy, American actressLaura Carmichael, English actressLaura Christensen, Danish actressLaura Cosoi, Romanian actressLaura Dern, American actressLaura Dickinson, American actressLaura Donnelly (actress), British actressLaura Fygi, Dutch singerLaura Gemser, Indonesian-Dutch actressLaura Gómez (actress), American actressLaura Harring, Mexican-American actressLaura Hope Crews, American actressLaura Innes, American actressLaura Izibor, Irish musicianLaura Jane Grace, American singer for the band Against Me!Laura Johnson, American actressLaura Jane Laughlin, Irish actressLaura Linney, American actressLaura Macfarlane, Scottish musician, singer and songwriterLaura Main, Scottish actressLaura Marano, American actress and singerLaura Marling, English singerLaura Mennell, Canadian actressLaura Morante, Italian actressLaura Neiva, Brazilian actressLaura Nyro, American singer-songwriterLaura Okmin, American sportscaster and NFL on Fox sideline reporterLaura Omloop, Belgian singer, yodeler and Junior Eurovision representativeLaura Osnes, American actressLaura Pausini, Italian singer-songwriterLaura Põldvere, Estonian singerLaura Prepon, American actress, That '70s ShowLaura Ramsey, American actressLaura Regan, Canadian actressLaura Rutledge, American Beauty pageant titleholder, American sportscaster and ESPN College Football sideline reporterLaura San Giacomo, American actressLaura Sánchez (model), Spanish modelLaura Spencer (actress) (born 1986), American actressLaura Stoica, Romanian singer and actressLaura Vandervoort, Canadian actressLaura Veirs, American singer-songwriterLaura Whitmore, Irish presenterLaura Wright, American actressLawLaura Codruţa Kövesi, former Prosecutor-General of RomaniaLaura E. Gómez, law professor of University of New MexicoLaura Wasser, American attorneyLaura Gabriela, Romanian Professional DancerPoliticsLaura Chinchilla, 49th President of Costa RicaLaura Kelly, Democratic Member of KansasLaura Miller, 58th Mayor of DallasLaura Pollán, Cuban dissidentFictional charactersLaura, an anesthesiologist from the television series In TreatmentLaura, the protagonist of the D (series) video game franchiseLaura, a young girl in the Silent Hill video game franchiseLaura, a female lead character in BrickLaura Alden, a character in WolfLaura Bristow, an alias for Irina Derevko, the mother of Sydney Bristow on the television series AliasLaura Diamond, protagonist of the television series The Mysteries of LauraLaura Hardy (Hardy Boys), mother from the Hardy Boys series of booksLaura Haruna (aka Hiroko), a character from the anime series HamtaroLaura Horton, a former character on the soap opera Days of Our LivesLaura Hunt, the protagonist of Otto Preminger's Laura (1944 film).Laura Kinney, also known as X-23, a Marvel Comics characterLaura Palmer, from the television series Twin PeaksLaura Parker, an English model in Sarra Manning's Fashionistas book series.Laura Roslin, from the reimagined television series Battlestar GalacticaLaura Spencer (General Hospital), a character on the soap opera General HospitalLaura Winslow, a character from the American sitcom Family MattersLaura Gauthier, a recurring character from the popular incomplete French TV series, Code Lyoko: Evolution.Laure Berthaud, main character of French crime series EngrenagesScience and technology467 Laura, 1901 asteroidTropical Storm Laura, 1971SportsLaura Benkarth, German footballer and goalkeeperLaura Berg, American head college softball coachLaura Brown (cyclist), Canadian cyclistLaura Brown (golfer), American golferLaura Davies, English golferLaura Davies (bodybuilder), Canadian bodybuilderLaura Davis (swimmer), American female medley swimmerLaura Davis (volleyball), American volleyball playerLaura Douglas (athlete), Welsh hammer throwerLaura Gil, Spanish basketball playerLaura Gómez (judoka), Spanish judokaLaura Hodges, Australian professional basketball playerLaura Nicholls (basketball), Spanish basketball playerLaura Nicholls (swimmer), Canadian former competition swimmerLaura Quevado, Spanish basketball playerLaura Robson, British tennis playerLaura Sánchez (diver), Mexican diverLaura Sánchez (swimmer), Mexican swimmerLaura Siegemund, German tennis playerLaura Stockdale, English footballerLaura Zeng, American gymnastLaura del Colle, Argentine floor hockey playerJanuary 15: SwedenJanuary 18: Estonia, FinlandJanuary 22: FranceApril 18: LatviaJune 1: Czech RepublicJune 5: Slovakia, SloveniaJune 17: Hungary, Lithuania, PolandAugust 10: Austria, GermanyOctober 19: Lithuania, ItalyA potato. See Laura potato
