Laura
Latin laurus, the laurel whose wreath crowned victors and poets.
Popularity, 1880–2025
The laurel, symbol of victory; Petrarch's muse gave it seven centuries of romance.
Laura appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in 112 different years between 1880 and 2001. Its biggest year was 1964, when 18,967 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 14 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1969, at No. 10. In 2025 it ranked No. 379 for girls. All told, 804,390 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Lara (30,202) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Lori, Loretta
Explore Laura interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 12,806 | No. 17 |
| 1890s | 16,433 | No. 27 |
| 1900s | 15,532 | No. 43 |
| 1910s | 30,549 | No. 53 |
| 1920s | 35,991 | No. 63 |
| 1930s | 25,093 | No. 88 |
| 1940s | 35,071 | No. 65 |
| 1950s | 95,526 | No. 29 |
| 1960s | 174,185 | No. 10 |
| 1970s | 118,204 | No. 13 |
| 1980s | 134,608 | No. 14 |
| 1990s | 67,253 | No. 29 |
| 2000s | 25,043 | No. 85 |
| 2010s | 10,442 | No. 271 |
| 2020s | 5,075 | No. 356 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.