Laura (given name)

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.
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 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
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)
References
External links
English feminine given names
Estonian feminine given names
Feminine given names
German feminine given names
Italian feminine given names
Latvian feminine given names
Lithuanian feminine given names
Romanian feminine given names
Spanish feminine given names
French feminine given names
Finnish feminine given names
Hungarian feminine given names
Polish feminine given names
Given names derived from plants or flowers