| Laura | |
|---|---|
Laurel wreaths are traditionally a symbol of honor. |
|
| Pronunciation | loor-ruh, lar-ruh[1] |
| Gender | Female |
| Origin | |
| Word/Name | England |
| Meaning | Laurus nobilis |
| Region of origin | Latin Europe |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Laure, Lauren, Laurie, Laurel, Lara, Larissa |
| Laura de Noves, the subject of love poetry by Petrarch | |
Laura is an English female given name in Latin Europe whose meaning ("Bay Laurel") translates to everyman, and an early hypocorism from Laurel and Lauren.[2][3][4]
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The name Laura is derived from the bay laurel plant, which, in the Greco-Roman era was used as a symbol of victory, honor or fame.
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.[5]