NameChart

Laura

Girl name

Laura has been given to 804,390 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1964 and currently ranks #379 for girls (2025).

Meaning & origin /lɑːɹə/

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.

Origin: Latin

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

04.742k9.484k14.225k18.967k 18801900192019401960198020002020 Girls Boys
Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

804,390

Peak year

1964 (19,008 babies)

Rank in 2025

#379 for girls

First recorded

1880

10-year trend

▼ -21%

Gender split

100% girls / 0% boys

Famous people named Laura

Reese Witherspoon

American actress (born 1976)

Jane Addams

American feminist social activist, reformer, social worker, sociologist, philosopher, and writer (1860–1935)

Laura Bush

First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009

Laura Chinchilla

46th President of Costa Rica

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Laura.

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