Laurel
Laurel is a unisex given name. The name is of English origin from the Latin Lauras, referring to the laurel tree. Various names related to Laurel are Laura, Lauren, Lori, and Lorraine.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Laurel
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Laurel is a unisex given name. The name is of English origin from the Latin Lauras, referring to the laurel tree. Various names related to Laurel are Laura, Lauren, Lori, and Lorraine.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Laurel
Laurel first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1883, with 12 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1956: 1,181 births, good for #241 nationwide. About 20% of every Laurel on record arrived during the 1950s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Laurel ranks #749 for baby girls with 377 births, gradually falling (-13%). All told, over 48K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Laurel
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Laurel. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Notable people named Laurel
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Laurel Abrahamson (born 1986), American volleyball player
- Laurel Aitken (1927–2005), Cuban-Jamaican singer
- Laurel Arnell-Cullen (born 1994), British indie musician
- Laurel Beckett (fl. 1960s–2010s), American biostatistician
- Laurel Braitman (born 1978), American science historian and writer
- Laurel Broten (born c. 1967), Canadian politician
- Laurel Burch (1945–2007), American artist, designer, and businesswoman
- Laurel Campbell (1902–1971), New Zealand racehorse trainer
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Laurel
Phonetically similar names — useful when Laurel 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 Laurel
What does the name Laurel mean?
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How popular is Laurel in 2026?
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In which U.S. states is Laurel most popular?
Is Laurel a unisex name?
What names go well with Laurel?
What are nicknames or variants of Laurel?
About the name Laurel
Laurel is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1883 and has accumulated 48K births in the dataset. Laurel's peak popularity came in 1956 when it ranked #241. Use the chart and map above to compare Laurel's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1956 →
- Names of the 1950s →
- 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.