Laura
Meanings & Origins
"laurel tree"
"symbol of victory and honor"
Popularity
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“A laurel-crowned classic that inspired Petrarch's sonnets for 40 years”
Origin & Etymology
Laura derives from the Latin laurus meaning laurel tree. In ancient Rome, laurel wreaths were given to victorious generals, emperors, and athletes — a symbol of honor that survives in the word laureate. The name gained its greatest romantic fame through Francesco Petrarch, the 14th-century Italian poet who fell in love with a woman named Laura (possibly Laura de Noves of Avignon) and wrote his Canzoniere sonnets in her honor — 366 poems across 40 years, virtually inventing the tradition of romantic lyric poetry in the process.
Popularity Story
Laura was extremely popular in the English-speaking world from the 1960s through the 1980s, ranking in the US top 20 for most of that period. It has declined since the 1990s but remains a timeless classic. In Italy and Spain, Laura remains consistently in the top 20 female names.
Cultural Significance
Petrarch's idealized beloved Laura became one of the most iconic figures in Western literature, inspiring centuries of poets to write to an idealized beloved. Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books gave the name a wholesome American pioneer identity. The name exists comfortably in both high literary culture and everyday American life.
Fun Facts
- Petrarch wrote 366 poems to his muse Laura over 40 years, pioneering the sonnet form that Shakespeare and countless others later adopted
- Laura has been in the top baby name charts in Italy virtually every decade since the Renaissance — nearly 600 years of continuous popularity