Audra

Meaning of Audra

Audra is that rare jewel of a given name that marries the calm nobility of an English manor to the crackling energy of a Lithuanian sky just before a downpour. Evolving as a gentle variant of Audrey, it inherits the Old English roots æðel (“noble”) and þryð (“strength”), yet in Lithuanian the very same letters spell audra, meaning “storm”—a dual heritage many Indian parents liken to the poised hush that precedes the first monsoon roar. Pronounced AW-druh, Audra has hovered steadily on U.S. popularity charts for more than a century, never flooding classrooms yet never drying up entirely, much like the nightly re-bloom of jasmine on a Bengaluru balcony. Modern bearers such as six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald lend theatrical sparkle, underscoring the name’s promise of grace meeting gusty ambition. In a compact two syllables, Audra offers parents a noble heart, a tempest’s vitality, and a cosmopolitan spirit that can journey seamlessly from Broadway to Bandra without losing its rhythm.