Laura
Meaning of Laura
Laura is a quietly radiant classic rooted in the Latin laurus, meaning “laurel,” the evergreen wreath once slipped onto the brows of victorious athletes and inspired poets. From the medieval muse of Petrarch’s sonnets to prairie-spun storyteller Laura Ingalls Wilder—and even the power-ballad pipes of Laura Branigan—the name has always known how to stand in the spotlight without showing off. Its gentle, two-syllable lilt—LAWR-uh in English, LAO-rah on Mediterranean lips—travels easily across cultures and coffee-shop counters alike. Though Laura drifted from a Top-20 sweetheart in the 1980s to a relaxed spot in the 300s today, that slow-and-steady slide only underscores her evergreen charm: she’s never trendy, never tired, simply growing at her own unhurried pace. For parents who favor names that feel friendly, unpretentious, and quietly triumphant, Laura offers a sun-dappled nod to both nature and achievement—a lovely garland waiting to be claimed by the next little laureate.
Pronunciation
Spanish
- Pronunced as LAO-rah (/laˈo̯ra/)
Italian
- Pronunced as LAO-rah (/laˈra/)
British English
- Pronunced as LAWR-uh (/ˈlɔːrə/)
American English
- Pronunced as LAWR-uh (/ˈlɔrə/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Laura
| Laura Bush is an American educator who served as First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009 as the wife of President George W. Bush and earlier as First Lady of Texas. |
| Laura Ingalls Wilder - Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder was an American writer, teacher, and journalist best known for her Little House on the Prairie books based on her pioneer childhood. |
| Laura Dern is an acclaimed American actress with an Academy Award, an Emmy, a BAFTA, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and five Golden Globes. |
| Laura Harrier is an American actress and model who began modeling at 17 in New York with top agencies, fronted major campaigns, trained at the William Esper Studio, and broke through as Destiny Evans in the 2013 One Life to Live reboot. |
| American actress Laura Leggett Linney has won two Golden Globes and four Emmys and earned three Oscar and five Tony nominations. |
| Laura Mvula is a classically trained British singer from Birmingham who led a cappella, jazz, neo soul, and gospel groups before signing with RCA and earning critical acclaim for her 2012 EP She. |
| Laura Marling is an English folk singer and songwriter who won the 2011 Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist and was nominated again in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018. |
| Laura Alonso is a Spanish operatic soprano who began in 1999 at the Aalto Theatre in Essen and has since performed with major theaters and ensembles worldwide. |
| Laura Michelle Kelly is an English actress and singer known for originating Mary Poppins in the West End, winning an Olivier Award, and playing Sylvia Llewelyn Davies in Finding Neverland on Broadway. |
| Laura Clough Scudder was a Monterey Park California entrepreneur who made potato chips and pioneered sealed bag packaging to keep them fresh. |
| Laura White - Laura Jane Amanda White is a Grammy nominated English recording artist and songwriter who has worked with Mark Ronson and written for or collaborated with Rita Ora, Galantis, Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, Andre 3000, and Stormzy. |
| Laura Pauline Veirs is an American singer songwriter based in Portland Oregon, known for folk and alt country music, her trio with Neko Case and kd lang, and a kids book and a podcast about parenting and performing. |
| Laura Wade is an English playwright and screenwriter best known for her 2018 play Home Im Darling. |
| Laura Maria Serrant is a British nurse and academic, Regional Head of Nursing for North East and Yorkshire at Health Education England and a professor at Manchester Metropolitan University. |
