Laura
Laura is a traditionally feminine given name in Europe and the Americas, of Latin origin, whose meaning is a metonym for a victor, and an early hypocorism from Laurel and Lauren.
- English
- Spanish
- Italian
- Portuguese
Meaning & Origin of Laura
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Laura is a traditionally feminine given name in Europe and the Americas, of Latin origin, whose meaning is a metonym for a victor, and an early hypocorism from Laurel and Lauren.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
- Spanish
- Italian
- Portuguese
- Romanian
- Catalan
- French
- Finnish
- Estonian
- Hungarian
- Polish
- Slovene
- Croatian
- Czech
- Slovak
- Swedish
- Norwegian
- Danish
- German
- Dutch
- Lithuanian
- Latvian
- Late Roman
The Story of Laura
Laura first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 1,012 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1964: 18,967 births, good for #14 nationwide. About 22% of every Laura on record arrived during the 1960s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Laura ranks #356 for baby girls with 867 births, holding steady (-4%). All told, over 803K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Laura
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Laura. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Laura
Phonetically similar names — useful when Laura is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Laura
What does the name Laura mean?
What is the origin of the name Laura?
How popular is Laura in 2026?
When was Laura most popular?
In which U.S. states is Laura most popular?
Is Laura a unisex name?
What names go well with Laura?
What are nicknames or variants of Laura?
About the name Laura
Laura is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 803K births in the dataset. Laura's peak popularity came in 1964 when it ranked #10. Use the chart and map above to compare Laura's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1964 →
- Names of the 1960s →
- Names starting with "L" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.