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Why parents love Laura- Petrarch made Laura the most celebrated name in European love poetry.
- Laura Ingalls Wilder is the Little House on the Prairie heroine — American icon.
- Two syllables with a warm, flowing sound: LOR-ah.
- The laurel meaning connects to victory and poetry.
- It's been beloved for seven centuries without ever feeling dated.
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The vibe of Laura
laurelPetrarchprairievictorypoeticwarmflowingseven-century
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Origin & history of Laura
Latin laurus (laurel tree)
→ Italian Laura (Petrarch's beloved)
→ English Laura
1
Latin / Italian roots
Laura comes from the Latin laurus, meaning laurel — the plant sacred to Apollo and used to crown victors and poets in ancient Rome. Petrarch (1304–1374) fell in love with Laura de Noves in 1327 and spent the rest of his life writing poetry to her — his Canzoniere is one of the greatest achievements in world literature. Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867–1957) wrote the Little House on the Prairie series. The film Laura (1944) is a classic noir. Laura Bush served as First Lady. The name has been in the US top 20 for most of the 20th century.
2
First recorded
Earliest known use: Petrarch's Laura de Noves (14th century) made the name literary; it has been popular in English since.
3
Today
Laura remains a beloved choice, ranking #351 in the US. 803,566 babies have been named Laura since 1880.
◈ Sources: Behind the Name, Oxford Dictionary of First Names, Britannica, SSA data
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How popular is Laura?
1964
peak year
Laura was a name of the 1960s. Through that decade it averaged #17 nationally — one of the era's most chosen names. In 1964, 18,967 babies were named Laura (ranked #14 nationally). In the present decade it sits around #351, with about 909 babies given the name annually. Laura's usage has held roughly steady recently. The all-time total comes to roughly 803,566 registrations.
Year-by-year registrations
1880–2024 · U.S. Social Security data
18,967
Babies named in peak year
(ranked #14)
(ranked #14)
909
Avg. per year
(last decade)
(last decade)
9,090
Total registrations
last 10 years
last 10 years
803,566
All-time total
(since 1880)
(since 1880)
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Numerology of Laura8
Life path number
The Achiever
Ambition, authority and material mastery.
Laura's Life Path 3 is the communicator's number — the muse who inspires poetry. People named Laura tend to be warm, inspiring, and capable of bringing out the best in others through their presence.
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Inspires the best in others✦
Warm muse◈
Poetic presence◎
Victory wreath♡
Prairie resilienceL3
A1
U3
R9
A1
Sum: 17 → Life path 8
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Personality of Laura💼
Built for success
They don't dream of achievement — they plan for it.
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Commanding presence
They walk in and people notice.
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Strategic mind
Always three moves ahead.
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Unbreakable
Setbacks sharpen them. Resilience is in their DNA.
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Famous people named LauraClick any name to view their Wikipedia page.
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If you like Laura, you may also love◎
Names that sound like LauraIf you love Laura, you might love these names with a similar sound, rhythm or feel.
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Names that combine with LauraSibling pairings that share the timeless, classic energy of Laura.
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Middle names for LauraThe right middle name turns Laura into a complete story. Explore options for first-and-middle pairings, then last-name flow.
Want a personalised middle name for Laura? Try our dedicated generator with 1,000+ pairings.
♡ Generate middle name for Laura →✦
Numerology life path calculatorEnter any full name and date of birth to discover the life path number — a core numerological indicator of personality, purpose and destiny.
First name
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Last name
Date of birth
7
Life path number
How we calculated this
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