Laura carries 800,987 cumulative American girls on SSA record and currently sits at rank 359, with a 1964 peak. The chart traces a clean Boomer-and-Gen-X arc: low early-century presence, sharp 1950s climb, peak in 1964 when Laura sat in the American top 10, plateau through the 1970s, and a long steady decline across the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s before bottoming out in the late 2010s.
The Latin laurel source
Laura derives from the Latin laurus, meaning the laurel tree whose leaves crowned Roman victors and poets. The name carried deep classical and devotional weight long before the modern era, but its modern fame begins with the 14th-century Italian poet Petrarch, whose sonnets to a woman named Laura defined European Renaissance love poetry and gave the name its enduring literary register.
Saint Laura of Cordoba, a 9th-century Spanish martyr, gave the name early Catholic devotional weight. The 1944 Otto Preminger noir film Laura, with the haunting Johnny Mercer title song, gave the mid-century American adoption strong Hollywood visibility, and Laura Bush's tenure as First Lady (2001-2009) reinforced the name's association with restrained American gentility. Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series remains a multigenerational childhood touchstone.
The bottoming-out generation
Laura currently sits in the late-stage Boomer-name decline cycle that has hit Linda, Susan, Karen, and Deborah hardest. The recent stabilization at rank 359 suggests the bottom may be near, and parents looking for the next generation of revival candidates should watch this name closely. Browse the broader Latin girl names cluster.
The counter-reading
The name currently reads as decisively Gen-X-mom rather than baby. Most American Lauras alive today were born between 1955 and 1985, and the bearer of a 2025 Laura will spend her childhood as one of very few children with a Boomer-coded name in her classroom. The trade-off is that she will also be one of very few, and the name's classical literary anchoring gives it staying power that more decorative options lack.
The two-syllable LAW-ruh rhythm is short, clean, and works internationally with minimal pronunciation friction. Laurie and Lola are the available nicknames, with Laurie reading as more vintage. Sibling pairings work across the storied-classic cluster: Laura and Claire, Laura and Eleanor, Laura and Sylvia, Laura and Margaret. Middle names tend short and traditional: Laura Jane, Laura Rose, Laura Mae, Laura Catherine. See related Boomer-era picks on the 1960s names set.