Laure
Of French/English origin meaning "crowned with laurel" or "laurel-crowned".
Name Census estimates that about 1,307 living Americans carry the first name Laure. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Laure today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Laure births was 1959 (102 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Laure. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 262,245 Americans
Peak year
1959
102 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
2019 SSA rank
#16,930
Tracked since 1886
Popularity
Laure: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Laure from the 1880s through to the 2010s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 606 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Laure by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Laure during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Laures live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. New York, California, Michigan recorded the most babies named Laure, while Ohio, Connecticut, North Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 33 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Laure
The name Laure is derived from the Latin name Laurus, which means "laurel." The laurel is an evergreen shrub or tree with small, fragrant leaves that have been used for centuries in wreaths and garlands as a symbol of victory, honor, and achievement.
The name Laure has its roots in ancient Roman culture, where the laurel wreath was awarded to victorious military leaders, poets, and athletes. It was a prestigious symbol of excellence and triumph. The earliest recorded use of the name Laure dates back to the 2nd century AD, when it was mentioned in Roman historical records.
During the Middle Ages, the name Laure gained popularity in France and Italy, where it was often associated with literary figures and scholars. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Petrarch's muse, Laura de Noves (1310-1348), a French noblewoman whose beauty and virtue inspired the poet's renowned sonnets.
In the 16th century, Laure de Noves (1520-1594), a French poetess and member of the Pléiade literary circle, gained recognition for her poetry and intellectual pursuits. Her works celebrated the beauty of nature and the power of love.
Another notable figure was Laure Conan (1845-1924), a French-Canadian novelist and educator. She was known for her novels that depicted the lives of French-Canadian settlers in Quebec, and her efforts to promote French-Canadian literature and culture.
In the 20th century, Laure Albin Guillot (1879-1962) was a French photographer renowned for her artistic portraits and nudes. Her work was exhibited in prestigious galleries and museums, and she was a pioneer in the field of avant-garde photography.
Laure Diebolt-Calland (1905-2003) was a French resistance fighter during World War II. She played a crucial role in the French Resistance movement, risking her life to help Allied soldiers and gather intelligence against the German occupation.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals who have carried the name Laure throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields, from literature and the arts to resistance movements and education.
People
Laure + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Laure as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Laure: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Laure?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,307 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Laure going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 262,245 US residents.
Is Laure a common name?
We classify Laure as "Rare". It ranks above 91.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,717 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Laure most popular?
The single biggest year for Laure was 1959, when 102 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Laure is about 59 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Laure a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Laure in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.