Laura (given name)
Laura is a traditionally feminine given name in Europe and the Americas, of Latin origin, whose meaning ("bay laurel") is a metonym for a victor, and an early hypocorism from Laurel and Lauren.[1][2][3]
 Laurel wreaths are traditionally a symbol of honor and victory. | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈlɔːrə/ LOR-ə German: [ˈlaʊ̯ʁa] Italian: [ˈlaura] Spanish: [ˈlawɾa] French: [lɔ.ʁa, lo-] |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Name day | April 18, October 19 |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Italy |
| Meaning | Laurus nobilis |
| Region of origin | Latin Europe |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Lauraina, Lauraine, Laure, Lauren, Lauranna, Lauriana (or Laurianna), Laurie, Lori, Laurel, Laurielle, Lara, Lora, Larissa, Laurissa, Laureen Laurentius |
 | |
Origin and usage
The name Laura is the feminized form of laurus, Latin for "bay laurel plant", which in the Greco-Roman era was used as a symbol of victory, honor or fame. The name represents the embodiment of victory and strength. The name Daphne, derived from Ancient Greek, carries the same meaning.
Popularity
In British North America, the name Laura reached 17th most popular in 1880 and 1882, but dropped to #43 in 1899. It was among the top 50 names for female newborns for much of the early 20th century in the United States, but dropped to No. 100–120 between 1930 and 1950; reached No. 10 in 1969, and has since steadily decreased in popularity.
In Europe, Laura remains popular. In 2009 it ranked within the top 10 in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Greenland, Luxembourg, Spain, and Switzerland.
Laura is occasionally conflated with Lara, which has different origins and is listed separately on name popularity lists.
Variants
- Lára: Icelandic
- Lara: Turkish
- Laoura (Λάουρα): Greek
- Laura: Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish, Albanian
- Laure: French
- Lavra: Slovene
- Lora: English, Bulgarian
- Lowri: Welsh[4]
Notable people with the name
Religion
- Saint Laura, Spanish martyr
Academics
- Laura Bennet, New Zealand academic
- Laura Linnan, American public health researcher
- Laura Poantă, Romanian physician, medical scientist, author, translator, and painter
- Laura Pyrak-Nolte, American geophysicist
- Laura Wright, academic of English literature
- Laura Waller, American computer scientist
- Laura Schulz, American cognitive scientist
Artists
- Laura Mas, Spanish artist
- Laura Jean McLaughlin (born 1965), American ceramic sculptor, print maker, and mosaic artist
- Laura Peery (born 1952), American ceramic artist
- Laura Pérez Vernetti (born 1958), Spanish Catalan cartoonist and illustrator
- Laura Rodig (1901–1972), Chilean painter, sculptor, illustrator, and educator
- Laura Zuccheri (born 1971), Italian comic artist, illustrator, and painter
Businesspeople
- Laura Melahn, American economist
- Laura Weidman Powers, American woman in business
Celebrities
- Laura Anderson, Scottish television personality
- Laura Ashley, British fashion designer
- Laura Biagiotti, Italian fashion designer
- Laura Calder, Canadian chef and host of program French Food at Home, from Food Network Canada
- Laura Deming, American businesswoman
- Laura Lang, American businesswoman
- Laura Mercier, French make-up artist in the cosmetics business
- Laura Neri, Italian-Greek director
- Laura Schlessinger, American radio talk show host known as Dr. Laura
- Laura Schwartz, American political commentator
- Laura Secord, Canadian heroine in the War of 1812
Entertainers
- L'Aura, Italian singer
- Laura Alho, Finnish travel blogger, writer and photographer
- Laura Allen, American actress
- Laura Andon, Australian model, charity ambassador, TV presenter and actress
- Laura Bailey (model), English model
- Laura Bailey (voice actress), American voice actress
- Laura Benanti, American actress
- Laura Bertram, Canadian actress
- Laura Birn, Finnish actress
- Laura Branigan, American singer
- Laura Breckenridge, American actress
- Laura Bryan Birn, American actress
- Laura Bryna, American country music singer
- Laura Bell Bundy, American actress
- Laura Carmichael, English actress
- Laura Christensen, Danish actress
- Laura Connor, British ballet dancer
- Laura Dern, American actress
- Laura Dickinson, American actress
- Laura Donnelly, British actress
- Laura Esterman, American actress
- Laura Fygi, Dutch singer
- Laura Gemser, Indonesian-Dutch actress
- Laura Gómez (actress), American actress
- Laura Harrier, American actress and model
- Laura Harring, Mexican-American actress
- Laura Honey (1816–1843), British actress, dancer and singer
- Laura Hope Crews, American actress
- Laura Innes, American actress
- Laura Izibor, Irish musician
- Laura Jane Grace, American singer for the band Against Me!
- Laura Johnson, American actress
- Laura Kampf, German YouTuber, designer, and craftswoman
- Laura Kightlinger, American actress
- Laura Kobayashi, American violinist and teacher
- Laura Linney, American actress
- Laura Longauerová (born 1995), Slovak model
- Laura MacFarlane, Scottish musician, singer and songwriter
- Laura Macrì, Italian singer
- Laura Main, Scottish actress
- Laura Malmivaara, Finnish actress
- Laura Marano, American actress and singer
- Laura Marling, English singer
- Laura Mennell, Canadian actress
- Laura Morante, Italian actress
- Laura Neiva, Brazilian actress
- Laura Niles, American model, actress, comedian, martial artist, and boxer
- Laura Nyro, American singer-songwriter
- Laura O'Toole (born 1985), Irish actress
- Laura Okmin, American sportscaster and NFL on Fox sideline reporter
- Laura Omloop, Belgian singer, yodeler and Junior Eurovision representative
- Laura Osnes, American actress
- Laura Pausini, Italian singer-songwriter
- Laura Põldvere, Estonian singer
- Laura Prepon, American actress, That '70s Show
- Laura Ramsey, American actress
- Laura Regan, Canadian actress
- Laura Andrews Rhodes (1854–1909), American operatic soprano
- Laura Rutledge, American beauty pageant titleholder, sportscaster and ESPN College Football sideline reporter
- Laura San Giacomo, American actress
- Laura Sánchez (model), Spanish model
- Laura Shigihara, American singer-songwriter
- Laura Spencer (actress) (born 1986), American actress
- Laura Stoica, Romanian singer and actress
- Laura Vandervoort, Canadian actress
- Laura van Dolron (born 1976), Dutch stage director
- Laura Veirs, American singer-songwriter
- Laura White, British actress
- Laura Whitmore, Irish presenter
- Laura Witherspoon, American actress
- Laura Wright, American actress
Law
- Laura Caller (1915–1988), Peruvian union lawyer
- Laura Codruţa Kövesi, former Prosecutor-General of Romania
- Laura E. Gómez, Mexican-American law professor, University of New Mexico
- Laura Londén (born 1961), Finnish Swede diplomat
- Laura Wasser, American attorney
Nobility
- Laura Margherita Mazzarini (1608–1685), Italian noblewoman
- Laura de Noves, 14th-century French noblewoman, perhaps the subject of love poetry by Petrarch
Politics
- Laura Baird, American politician
- Laura Balbo, Italian sociologist and politician
- Laura Boldrini, Italian politician
- Laura Borràs, Catalan politician
- Laura Bromet, Dutch politician
- Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001 to January 20, 2009
- Laura Chinchilla, 49th President of Costa Rica
- Laura Clay, American suffragist
- Laura Rajnović Evetović (born 1975), Serbian politician and administrator
- Laura Garza, American politician
- Laura Garza Galindo, Mexican politician
- Laura Grimond, British politician
- Laura Gutiérrez (born 1973), American politician
- Laura Kelly, 48th governor of Kansas
- Laura Loomer, American activist
- Laura Miller, 58th Mayor of Dallas (2002–2007)
- Laura Moffatt, British MP (1997–2010)
- Laura Pidcock, British MP (2017–2019)
- Laura Pollán, Cuban dissident
- Laura Sandys, British MP (2010–2015)
- Laura Smith, British MP (2017–2019)
- Laura Trott, British MP (2019–present)
- Laura Vilagrà (born 1976), Catalan politician
Science and technology
- Laura Ahtime, statistician from the Seychelles
- Laura Bassi (1711–1778), Italian physicist
- Laura Berman, American sex therapist
- Laura Bridgewater, molecular biologist
- Laura J. Esserman, American surgeon and oncologist
- Laura Fabris, Italian scientist
- Laura Huenneke, American ecologist
- Laura Kray, American psychologist
- Laura Kubzansky, American sociologist
- Laura Robinson, British scientist
- Laura Iglesias Romero, Spanish chemist
- Laura Silberstein, American psychologist, psychotherapist and author
- Laura Tach, American sociologist
Sports
- Laura Benkarth, German footballer and goalkeeper
- Laura Berg, American head college softball coach
- Laura Brown (cyclist), Canadian cyclist
- Laura Brown (golfer), American golfer
- Laura Dahlmeier, German biathlete
- Laura Davies, English golfer
- Laura Davies (bodybuilder), Canadian bodybuilder
- Laura Davis (swimmer), American female medley swimmer
- Laura Davis (volleyball), American volleyball player
- Laura del Colle, Argentine floor hockey player
- Laura Douglas (athlete), Welsh hammer thrower
- Laura Gil, Spanish basketball player
- Laura Gómez (judoka), Spanish judoka
- Laura Heyrman, Belgian volleyball player
- Laura Hodges, Australian professional basketball player
- Laura Kenny, British cyclist
- Laura Malcolm (born 1991), English netball player
- Laura Nicholls (basketball), Spanish basketball player
- Laura Nicholls (swimmer), Canadian former competition swimmer
- Laura Rhoney, Scottish ten-pin bowler
- Laura Robson, British tennis player
- Laura Sánchez (diver), Mexican diver
- Laura Sánchez (swimmer), Mexican swimmer
- Laura Siegemund, German tennis player
- Laura Škvorc (born 1997), Slovenian footballer
- Laura Sondore (born 1999), Latvian footballer
- Laura Taylor (born 1999), Australian swimmer
- Laura Walker, Canadian curler
- Laura Zeng, American rhythmic gymnast
Writers and journalists
- Laura Brown (fashion journalist), American fashion journalist
- Laura J. Burns, American author
- Laura Hill Chapman (1935–2021), American author and educator
- Laura Eldridge, American women's health writer and activist
- Laura Dayton Fessenden (1852–1924), American author
- LauraMaery Gold, American author
- Laura Goode, American novelist
- Laura Mestre Hevia (1867–1944), Cuban translator, humanist and writer
- Laura Hillman (1923–2020), German-born American memoirist, Holocaust survivor and "Schindler Jew"
- Laura Lee Huttenbach, American author and athlete
- Laura M. Johns (1849–1935), American suffragist and journalist
- Laura Karasek (born 1982), German author, television moderator, lawyer, columnist and actor
- Laura Kuenssberg, British journalist, BBC political correspondent
- Laura Ling, American journalist
- Laura Meschede, German freelance journalist
- Laura Miller (journalist), Scottish broadcast journalist
- Laura Miller (writer), American author
- Laura A. Sunderlin Nourse (1836–1899), American poet
- Laura Pritchett (born 1971), American writer
- Laura Resnick, American writer
- Laura Villanueva Rocabado (pseudonym, Hilda Mundy; 1912–1980), Bolivian writer, poet, journalist
- Laura Thompson (journalist), Canadian musician and CBC reporter and producer
- Laura Tingle, Australian journalist and author, ABC chief political correspondent
- Laura Rosamond White (1844–1922), American author
- Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author of Little House on the Prairie
- Laura Ellen Anderson, author of Rainbow Grey and Amelia Fang
Others
- Laura Attrux (1909–1987), Canadian nurse
- Laura Escanes (born 1996), Catalan model and influencer
- Laura Guido-Clark, American textile designer
- Laura Law (1914–1940), Finnish-American murder victim
- Laura Russello (born 1978), American community organizer, activist, and textile designer
- Laura Wooten (1920–2019), American poll worker
- Laura Davis Worley (1849–1937), American dairy farmer
Fictional characters
- Laura, a main character in the Sheridan Le Fanu 1871 novel Carmilla and its adaptations, including the webseries of the same name
- Laura, a lead character in the 2005 film Brick
- Laura, an anesthesiologist from the television series In Treatment
- Laura, a young girl in the Silent Hill video game franchise
- Laura, a character in the American television series The Walking Dead
- Laura, a character in Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure
- Laura Alden, a character in the 1994 film Wolf
- Laura Bristow, an alias for Irina Derevko, the mother of Sydney Bristow on the television series Alias
- Laura Carrot, a character in VeggieTales
- Laura Diamond, protagonist of the television series The Mysteries of Laura
- Laura Gauthier, a recurring character from the incomplete French TV series, Code Lyoko: Evolution
- Laura Hardy (Hardy Boys), mother from the Hardy Boys series of books
- Laura Harris, the protagonist of the video game D
- Laura Haruna (aka Hiroko), a character from the anime series Hamtaro
- Laura Horton, a former character on the soap opera Days of Our Lives
- Laura Hunt, the protagonist of Otto Preminger's 1944 film Laura
- Laura Kinney, also known as X-23, a Marvel Comics character
- Laura Lewis, the protagonist of the video game Enemy Zero
- Laura Matsuda, a character from the Street Fighter V
- Laura Palmer, from the television series Twin Peaks
- Laura Parker, an English model in Sarra Manning's Fashionistas book series
- Laura Parton, the protagonist of the video game D2
- Laura Petrie, a character from the American sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, played by Mary Tyler Moore
- Laura Roslin, from the reimagined television series Battlestar Galactica
- Laura Sorkin, a scientist from the video game Jurassic Park: The Game
- Laura Spencer, a character on the soap opera General Hospital
- Laura Tucker, a character from the American animated sitcom South Park
- Laura Winslow, a character from the American sitcom Family Matters
- Laure Berthaud, main character of French crime series Engrenages (Spiral)
Name days
Christian name days for Laura:
- January 15: Sweden
- January 18: Estonia, Finland
- January 22: France
- April 18: Latvia
- June 1: Czech Republic
- June 5: Slovakia, Slovenia
- June 17: Hungary, Lithuania, Poland
- August 10: Austria, Germany
- October 19: Lithuania, Italy, Spain, England
See also
- Laura (disambiguation)
- All pages with titles beginning with Laura
References
- Albaigès, Josep M.; Olivart, J. M. A. (1993). Diccionario de nombres de personas (in Spanish). Universitat de Barcelona. p. 156. ISBN 84-475-0264-3. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
- "Popular Baby Names". www.ssa.gov.
- Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Laura". Behind the Name.
- "Welsh Government: Popular Welsh names for girls". Retrieved 13 June 2019.
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