Lara is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Lara means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Lara across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Lara has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Lara is a girl name of Latin, Russian origin meaning “cheerful or from Laurentum”. A Russian short form of Larissa, also a Roman nymph.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 30,202 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 13,341 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 1,690 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 664 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 1,696 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Lara per year, United States (1887 to 2025). United States peaked in 1969 (1,360/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2003 (568/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2013 (72/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2008 (62/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2023 (40/yr).
Lara has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1969, when it ranked #414 nationally (given to 1,368 babies that year).
Larry · Lori · Laura · Laurie · Lora · Lauri · Lura · Leora
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