girls' name ★ peaked 1964

Laura

Meaning laurel tree Gender Girl Rank 2025 #379 Trend → Stable

From Late Latin saint's name Laura, from the feminine form of laurus (“laurel tree”).

Rank 2025
#379
among girls · ↓20 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
805
named Laura · -8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,997
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1964
19,008 babies
All-time total
804,390
#26 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Laura popularity over time

804,390 babies have been named Laura since 1880, 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
3.757.511.251518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 12,806 27 12,833 1,283 – #17
1890s 16,433 53 16,486 1,649 +28% #27
1900s 15,532 46 15,578 1,558 -6% #43
1910s 30,549 97 30,646 3,065 +97% #53
1920s 35,991 150 36,141 3,614 +18% #63
1930s 25,093 147 25,240 2,524 -30% #88
1940s 35,071 105 35,176 3,518 +39% #65
1950s 95,526 217 95,743 9,574 +172% #29
1960s 174,185 449 174,634 17,463 +82% #10
1970s 118,204 454 118,658 11,866 -32% #13
1980s 134,608 599 135,207 13,521 +14% #14
1990s 67,253 192 67,445 6,745 -50% #29
2000s 25,043 38 25,081 2,508 -63% #85
2010s 10,442 5 10,447 1,045 -58% #271
2020s (to 2025) 5,075 – 5,075 846 -19% #356

Where Laura 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 797 0.50 #391
2027 790 0.49 #393
2028 785 0.49 #396
2029 780 0.49 #398
2030 776 0.48 #402

Where Laura is most popular

Girls named Laura per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.518 per 1,000. Strongest in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi.

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 Laura 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 229 1.89 +266%
Pennsylvania 250 1.06 +104%
Mississippi 49 1.05 +102%
Connecticut 54 0.928 +79%
Kentucky 78 0.912 +76%
Florida 337 0.788 +52%
South Carolina 67 0.745 +44%
Tennessee 118 0.745 +44%
Washington 107 0.741 +43%
Kansas 42 0.728 +40%
Alabama 68 0.724 +40%
Wisconsin 73 0.709 +37%
Indiana 94 0.670 +29%
Arkansas 35 0.662 +28%
Idaho 22 0.657 +27%
Utah 54 0.649 +25%
New Jersey 116 0.643 +24%
Minnesota 69 0.639 +23%
Ohio 149 0.628 +21%
Iowa 35 0.599 +16%
Virginia 99 0.581 +12%
Texas 462 0.574 +11%
West Virginia 15 0.572 +10%
Georgia 128 0.563 +9%
Missouri 67 0.556 +7%
Arizona 78 0.556 +7%
Illinois 127 0.555 +7%
New York 215 0.543 +5%
Oregon 34 0.522 ≈ national
North Carolina 118 0.518 ≈ national
District of Columbia 6 0.506 ≈ national
Oklahoma 36 0.489 -6%
Michigan 89 0.489 -6%
California 373 0.444 -14%
Maryland 44 0.415 -20%
Colorado 46 0.412 -20%
Louisiana 34 0.388 -25%
Montana 5 0.369 -29%
Nebraska 13 0.362 -30%
New Hampshire 5 0.271 -48%
Nevada 7 0.151 -71%
Alaska – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Laura

Laura is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #379 in 2025 with 805 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 804,390 American babies have been named Laura. Its peak came in 1964, when 19,008 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 Laura stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Laura?

The median living Laura is about 52 years old; half are between 39 and 63. An estimated 621 thousand people named Laura are alive in the United States today.

median 52 020406080100

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

Laura 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 805 #379 – –
2024 872 #359 – –
2023 846 #362 – –
2022 874 #363 – –
2021 807 #389 – –
2020 871 #356 – –
2019 951 #337 – –
2018 947 #339 – –
2017 948 #340 – –
2016 968 #346 – –
2015 1,016 #320 – –
2014 1,052 #315 – –
2013 1,029 #315 – –
2012 1,146 #279 – –
2011 1,171 #273 5 #13,523
2010 1,214 #271 – –
2009 1,414 #234 – –
2008 1,595 #215 – –
2007 1,844 #183 – –
2006 2,066 #172 – –
2005 2,356 #146 6 #10,922
2004 2,555 #129 13 #6,009
2003 2,750 #124 – –
2002 3,159 #105 – –
2001 3,563 #86 9 #7,260
2000 3,741 #85 10 #6,631
1995 6,008 #56 12 #4,989
1990 10,914 #29 44 #1,797
1985 16,002 #14 66 #1,155
1980 12,916 #21 55 #1,252
1975 10,311 #20 31 #1,647
1970 16,490 #13 53 #1,139
1965 16,218 #17 47 #1,086
1960 17,060 #25 33 #1,389
1955 9,008 #41 18 #1,884
1950 5,725 #63 21 #1,635
1945 3,589 #77 6 #3,173
1940 2,350 #108 13 #2,041
1935 2,358 #101 20 #1,567
1930 2,908 #89 15 #2,021
1925 3,588 #75 12 #2,518
1920 4,171 #63 8 #3,369
1915 3,723 #61 5 #4,131
1910 1,834 #53 6 #1,512
1905 1,566 #49 8 #969
1900 1,824 #45 7 #1,115
1895 1,643 #36 5 #1,174
1890 1,634 #27 9 #707
1885 1,325 #21 – –
1880 1,012 #17 – –

Famous people named Laura

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

  1. 1 Laura Dern Laura Dern American actress (born 1967) Contemporary
  2. 2 Laura Linney Laura Linney American actress (born 1964) Contemporary
  3. 3 Laura Ingalls Wilder Laura Ingalls Wilder American teacher and writer (1867–1957) 19th century
  4. 4 Laura Branigan Laura Branigan American singer (1952–2004) Contemporary
  5. 5 Laura Prepon Laura Prepon American actress (born 1980) Contemporary
  6. 6 Laura Bush Laura Bush First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009 b. 1946 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Laura Innes Laura Innes American actress and television director b. 1957 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Laura Harring Laura Harring Mexican and American actress (born 1964) Contemporary
  9. 9 Laura Pausini Laura Pausini Italian singer (born 1974) Contemporary
  10. 10 Laura Nyro Laura Nyro American singer and songwriter (1947–1997) Contemporary
  11. 11 Laura Leighton Laura Leighton American actress (born 1968) Contemporary
  12. 12 Laura Gemser Laura Gemser Indonesian-Dutch model, actress, and costume designer (retired) b. 1950 · Contemporary
  13. 13 Laura Antonelli Laura Antonelli Italian actress (1941–2015) Contemporary
  14. 14 Laura Poitras Laura Poitras American documentary director and producer (born 1964) Contemporary
  15. 15 Laura Marx Laura Marx Daughter of Karl Marx (1845–1911) 19th century
  16. 16 Laura Ashley Laura Ashley Welsh fashion designer and businesswoman (1925–1985) Contemporary
  17. 17 Laura Secord Laura Secord Canadian heroine of the War of 1812 1775–1868 · 18th century
  18. 18 Laura Mulvey Laura Mulvey British feminist film theorist (born 1941) Contemporary
  19. 19 Laura Esquivel Laura Esquivel Mexican writer and politician b. 1950 · Contemporary
  20. 20 Laura Bridgman Laura Bridgman American deaf-blind woman (1829–1889) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Laura?

The median living Laura is about 52 years old. Half of all living Lauras are between 39 and 63 years old.

How many people named Laura are alive today?

An estimated 621 thousand people named Laura are alive in the United States, based on 804,390 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Laura mean?

From Late Latin saint's name Laura, from the feminine form of laurus (“laurel tree”).

How popular is the name Laura in 2025?

Laura ranked #379 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 805 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Laura?

804,390 babies have been named Laura in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Laura most popular?

Laura peaked in 1964, when 19,008 newborns received the name.

Is Laura a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Laura rising or falling?

Laura has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Laura become more popular?

Laura looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 776 girls named Laura in 2030, ranking around #402. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Laura?

Well-known people named Laura include Laura Dern (actor), Laura Linney (actor), Laura Ingalls Wilder (writer).

Names like Laura

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

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