girls' name ★ peaked 1969

Lara

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #693 Trend → Stable

Anglicized from Russian Ла́ра (Lára), a Russian pet form of Larissa, known from the novel (1957) and film (1965) Dr Zhivago.

Rank 2025
#693
among girls · ↑48 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
409
named Lara · +8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 3,930
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1969
1,360 babies
All-time total
30,202
#830 all-time among girls
First recorded
1887
in Social Security records

Lara popularity over time

30,202 babies have been named Lara since 1887, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 5 – 5 1 – #1,226
1890s 30 – 30 3 +500% #1,428
1900s 41 – 41 4 +37% #1,489
1910s 115 5 120 12 +193% #1,414
1920s 189 – 189 19 +57% #1,670
1930s 138 – 138 14 -27% #1,835
1940s 121 – 121 12 -12% #2,452
1950s 241 – 241 24 +99% #1,902
1960s 4,195 12 4,207 421 +1646% #223
1970s 7,612 5 7,617 762 +81% #235
1980s 5,412 6 5,418 542 -29% #370
1990s 3,047 6 3,053 305 -44% #539
2000s 3,218 – 3,218 322 +5% #635
2010s 3,384 – 3,384 338 +5% #702
2020s (to 2025) 2,420 – 2,420 403 +19% #681

Where Lara is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 413 0.26 outside top 500
2027 417 0.26 outside top 500
2028 420 0.26 outside top 500
2029 422 0.26 outside top 500
2030 425 0.26 outside top 500

Where Lara is most popular

Girls named Lara per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.249 per 1,000. Strongest in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Florida.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Lara born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Massachusetts 101 0.835 +235%
Connecticut 41 0.705 +182%
Florida 274 0.640 +157%
New Jersey 111 0.615 +147%
New York 169 0.427 +71%
Virginia 71 0.417 +67%
Illinois 83 0.363 +45%
Michigan 62 0.340 +36%
Maine 5 0.323 +30%
Washington 46 0.318 +28%
California 267 0.318 +27%
Minnesota 33 0.306 +23%
Pennsylvania 69 0.292 +17%
Maryland 27 0.255 ≈ national
Arizona 35 0.249 ≈ national
Utah 19 0.228 -8%
Texas 177 0.220 -12%
Ohio 48 0.202 -19%
South Carolina 18 0.200 -20%
North Carolina 45 0.198 -21%
Tennessee 29 0.183 -27%
Georgia 37 0.163 -35%
Indiana 15 0.107 -57%
Colorado 11 0.099 -60%
Oklahoma 5 0.068 -73%
Louisiana 5 0.057 -77%
Alabama 5 0.053 -79%
Wisconsin 5 0.049 -81%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Lara

Lara is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #693 in 2025 with 409 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1887, 30,202 American babies have been named Lara. Its peak came in 1969, when 1,360 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Lara stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Lara?

The median living Lara is about 40 years old; half are between 20 and 53. An estimated 29 thousand people named Lara are alive in the United States today.

median 40 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Lara year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 409 #693 – –
2024 380 #741 – –
2023 384 #731 – –
2022 424 #695 – –
2021 427 #681 – –
2020 396 #710 – –
2019 413 #702 – –
2018 359 #761 – –
2017 365 #762 – –
2016 378 #756 – –
2015 345 #813 – –
2014 337 #821 – –
2013 295 #876 – –
2012 313 #855 – –
2011 278 #930 – –
2010 301 #881 – –
2009 287 #933 – –
2008 292 #933 – –
2007 290 #932 – –
2006 322 #834 – –
2005 319 #811 – –
2004 359 #735 – –
2003 349 #736 – –
2002 402 #635 – –
2001 336 #725 – –
2000 262 #848 – –
1995 260 #773 – –
1990 442 #539 6 #7,707
1985 487 #449 – –
1980 579 #393 – –
1975 637 #344 – –
1970 1,332 #235 5 #5,128
1965 65 #1,376 – –
1960 49 #1,608 – –
1955 18 #2,679 – –
1950 17 #2,495 – –
1945 8 #3,532 – –
1940 12 #2,497 – –
1935 15 #2,155 – –
1930 18 #1,987 – –
1925 26 #1,670 – –
1920 18 #2,125 – –
1915 14 #2,192 – –
1910 8 #1,852 – –
1905 – – – –
1900 7 #1,652 – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Lara

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Lara Flynn Boyle Lara Flynn Boyle American actress (born 1970) Contemporary
  2. 2 Lara Dutta Lara Dutta Indian actress (born 1978) Contemporary
  3. 3 Lara Pulver Lara Pulver English actress (born 1980) Contemporary
  4. 4 Lara Stone Lara Stone Dutch fashion model (born 1983) Contemporary
  5. 5 Lara Fabian Lara Fabian Belgian-Italian and Canadian singer and songwriter (born 1970) Contemporary
  6. 6 Lara Gut-Behrami Lara Gut-Behrami Swiss alpine skier (born 1991) Contemporary
  7. 7 Lara Arruabarrena Lara Arruabarrena Spanish tennis player (born 1992) Contemporary
  8. 8 Lara van Ruijven Lara van Ruijven Dutch short track speed skater (1992–2020) Contemporary
  9. 9 Lara Dickenmann Lara Dickenmann Swiss footballer (born 1985) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Lara, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Lara?

The median living Lara is about 40 years old. Half of all living Laras are between 20 and 53 years old.

How many people named Lara are alive today?

An estimated 29 thousand people named Lara are alive in the United States, based on 30,202 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Lara mean?

Anglicized from Russian Ла́ра (Lára), a Russian pet form of Larissa, known from the novel (1957) and film (1965) Dr Zhivago.

How popular is the name Lara in 2025?

Lara ranked #693 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 409 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Lara?

30,202 babies have been named Lara in the United States since 1887, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Lara most popular?

Lara peaked in 1969, when 1,360 newborns received the name.

Is Lara a boy or girl name?

Lara is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Lara rising or falling?

Lara is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Lara become more popular?

Lara looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 425 girls named Lara in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Lara?

Well-known people named Lara include Lara Flynn Boyle (actor), Lara Dutta (actor), Lara Pulver (actor).

Names like Lara

Names that sound and feel close to Lara: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Lara with similar names → More names starting with L →