Laura (given name)

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Laura

Laurel wreaths are traditionally a symbol of honor and victory.
Pronunciation LOOR-ruh, LOR-uh, LAR-ruh[1]
Gender Female
Origin
Word/Name Italy
Meaning Laurus nobilis
Region of origin Latin Europe
Other names
Related names Laure, Lauren, Laurie, Lori, Laurel, Laurelle, Lara, Lora, Larissa
Laura de Noves, the subject of love poetry by Petrarch
Look up Laura in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

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.[2][3][4]

Origin and usage

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.

Popularity

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]

Variants

Namesakes

No surname
  • Emma Laura, Mexican actress
  • Laura de Noves, the subject of love poetry by Petrarch
  • Saint Laura, Spanish martyr
Celebrities
Entertainers
Law
Politics
Fictional characters
  • Laura, an anesthesiologist from the television series In Treatment
  • Laura, the protagonist of the D (series) video game franchise
  • Laura, a young girl in the Silent Hill video game franchise
  • Laura, a female lead character in Brick that starred Joseph Bogart
  • Laura Bristow, an alias for Irina Derevko, the mother of Sydney Bristow on the television series Alias
  • Laura Hardy (Hardy Boys), mother from the Hardy Boys series of books
  • Laura Horton, a former character on the soap opera Days of our Lives
  • Laura Hunt, the protagonist of Otto Preminger's Laura (1944 film).
  • Laura Kinney, also known as X-23, a Marvel Comics character
  • Laura Palmer, from the television series Twin Peaks
  • Laura Parker, an English model in Sarra Manning's Fashionistas book series.
  • Laura Roslin, from the reimagined television series Battlestar Galactica
  • Laura Spencer, a character on the soap opera General Hospital
  • Laura Winslow, a character from the American sitcom Family Matters
  • Laura Gauthier, a recurring character from the popular ongoing French TV series, Code Lyoko Evolution.
  • Laure Berthaud, main character of French crime series Engrenages
Science and technology
Sports

Name days

See also

  • Laura (disambiguation)
  • Wikipedia articles that start with Laura

References

  1. ↑ http://inogolo.com/pronunciation/Laura
  2. ↑ United States Social Security Administration
  3. ↑ Popular baby names
  4. ↑ Name histories
  5. ↑ List of most popular given names

External links

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