Laura facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Laura
Laurel wreaths are traditionally a symbol of honor and victory.
Pronunciation	LOR-ə;
Gender	Female
Name day	April 18, October 19
Origin
Word/Name	Italy
Meaning	Laurus nobilis
Place 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
Laura de Noves, the subject of love poetry by Petrarch

The name Laura is a female given name in Latin Europe whose meaning, "Bay Laurel", translates to everyman. The name is from the bay laurel plant, which in the Greco-Roman era, was used as a symbol of victory, fame or honor.

Around British North America, it is likely the name Laura was strongly popular for female babies until its rapid decline in late 19th century. It rebounded various times since, although it has steadily declined in popularity in some countries.

There are many celebrities carrying the name Laura.

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.

Popularity

In British North America, it is very likely that the name Laura was extremely popular for female newborns until its rapid decline starting in the late 19th century. The name Laura was among the top 40 names for female newborns for much of the late 19th century in the United States until it dropped off the chart in 1899 at #43. The overall highest known rank for the name Laura in the 19th century was #17 in the years 1880 and 1882 with the male name Samuel. Running up, the name Laura in the 19th century was #19 in 1881 and 1883 with the male name Louis. The name Laura was among the top 50 names for female newborns for much of the early 20th century in the United States, but dropped to the top 100–120 by the 1930s–40s, then rebounded to the top 20 in 1984–1986, and has since steadily decreased in popularity. The overall highest known rank for the name Laura in the 20th century is #10 in 1969 with the male name Richard. The latest highest known rank for the name Laura in the 20th century is #14 in 1985 with the male name Jason. The name Laura was the most rare in the years 1887, 1888, 1890, 1891, 1893, 1897, 1898, 1905, 1963, and 1968.

In Europe, the name Laura remains as popular as it was in the past. In the early 21st century in the late 2000s, it ranked within the top 10 in countries such as Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Greenland, Luxembourg, Spain, and Switzerland.

The name is occasionally confused or conjoined with the name Lara (pronounced La-ra) which is a totally different name 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
• Laure: French
• Lavra: Slovene
• Lora: English, Bulgarian
• Lowri: Welsh

List of people with the name

Religion

• Saint Laura, Spanish martyr

Academics

• Laura Poantă, professor at Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy
• Laura Wright, professor at Western Carolina University
• Laura Waller, professor at University of California, Berkeley of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences
• Laura Schulz, professor of cognitive science Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Artists

• Laura Rodig (1901-1972) Chilean painter, sculptor, illustrator, educator

Celebrities

• 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 de Noves, noblewoman and the subject of love poetry by Petrarch
• 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 Allen, American 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 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 Kightlinger, American actress
• Laura Linney, American actress
• 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 Nyro, American singer-songwriter
• 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 Rutledge, American Beauty pageant titleholder, American sportscaster and ESPN College Football sideline reporter
• Laura San Giacomo, American actress
• Laura Sánchez (model), Spanish model
• Laura Shigihara, Music composer
• Laura Spencer (actress) (born 1986), American actress
• Laura Stoica, Romanian singer and actress
• Laura Vandervoort, Canadian actress
• Laura Veirs, American singer-songwriter
• Laura White, British actress
• Laura Whitmore, Irish presenter
• Laura Wright, American actress

Law

• Laura Codruţa Kövesi, former Prosecutor-General of Romania
• Laura E. Gómez, law professor of University of New Mexico
• Laura Wasser, American attorney

Nobility

• Laura Margherita Mazzarini (1608–9 June 1685), Italian noblewoman

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 Garza, American politician
• Laura Garza Galindo, Mexican politician
• Laura Grimond, British 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, 18th century physicist
• Laura J. Esserman, American surgeon and oncologist

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 Douglas (athlete), Welsh hammer thrower
• Laura Gil, Spanish basketball player
• Laura Gómez (judoka), Spanish judoka
• 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 Robson, British tennis player
• Laura Sánchez (diver), Mexican diver
• Laura Sánchez (swimmer), Mexican swimmer
• Laura Siegemund, German tennis player
• Laura Stockdale, English footballer
• Laura Taylor (born 1999), Australian swimmer
• Laura Zeng, American rhythmic gymnast
• Laura del Colle, Argentine floor hockey player

Writers and journalists

• Laura Brown (fashion journalist), American fashion journalist
• Laura J. Burns, American author
• 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 Hillman (b.1923), German-born American memoirist, Holocaust survivor and "Schindler Jew"
• Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author of Little House on the Prairie
• Laura M. Johns (1849–1935), American suffragist and journalist
• Laura Kuenssberg, BBC political correspondent
• Laura Ling, American journalist
• Laura Mestre Hevia (1867–1944), Cuban translator, humanist and writer
• Laura Miller (journalist), Scottish broadcast journalist
• Laura Miller (writer), American author
• Laura Resnick, American writer
• Laura Villanueva Rocabado (pseudonym, Hilda Mundy; 1912-1980), Bolivian writer, poet, journalist
• Laura Thompson, CBC News anchor

See also

In Spanish: Laura (desambiguación) para niños