Laura (given name)

Laura

Laurel wreaths are traditionally a symbol of honor and victory.
Pronunciation
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.[1][2][3]

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 Daphne, derived from Ancient Greek, carries the same meaning.

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.[4]

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.

Variants

Namesakes

No surname
Celebrities
Entertainers
Law
Politics
Fictional characters
Science and technology
Sports

Name days

See also

References

  1. ↑ United States Social Security Administration
  2. ↑ Popular baby names
  3. ↑ Name histories
  4. ↑ List of most popular given names

External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article: