Lavra
A feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially from Slavic roots.
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the first name Lavra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lavra today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lavra births was 1982 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lavra. 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
128
~ 1 in 2,677,768 Americans
Peak year
1982
13 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
1990 SSA rank
#12,222
Tracked since 1956
Popularity
Lavra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lavra from the 1950s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 84 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lavra 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 Lavra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lavra
The name Lavra has its origins in the Russian language and culture. It is derived from the Greek word "lavra," which means a monastic community or a large monastery. The name is closely associated with Eastern Orthodox Christianity and has been in use since the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lavra can be found in the chronicles of the Kyivan Rus', a medieval East Slavic state. The Lavra of the Caves Monastery, also known as the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, is a renowned Orthodox Christian monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine, and is considered one of the most significant cultural and religious sites in the region.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Lavra. One of the most famous was Lavra Kovalevskaya (1850-1891), a Russian mathematician and writer who made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics and mechanics. She was the first woman to become a full professor of mathematics in modern Europe.
Another influential figure was Lavra Kadison (1903-1988), a Russian-American mathematician and educator. She made significant contributions to the field of functional analysis and was a pioneer in the study of operator algebras. Kadison was a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
In the realm of literature, Lavra Kuzmina (1862-1952) was a Russian poet and translator. She was part of the Russian Symbolist movement and is best known for her translations of works by Charles Baudelaire and Oscar Wilde.
Moving to the world of art, Lavra Arkhipova (1924-2012) was a renowned Russian painter and graphic artist. Her work was heavily influenced by the traditions of Russian folk art, and she is celebrated for her vibrant and intricate depictions of rural life and landscapes.
Lastly, Lavra Kvintillian (born in 35 AD) was a Roman rhetorician and writer from Hispania. He is best known for his influential work "Institutio Oratoria," a comprehensive treatise on the theory and practice of rhetoric.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Lavra, highlighting its rich cultural and historical significance.
People
Lavra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lavra 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
Lavra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lavra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 128 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lavra 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 2,677,768 US residents.
Is Lavra a common name?
We classify Lavra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 140 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lavra most popular?
The single biggest year for Lavra was 1982, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lavra is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Lavra in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lavra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lavra 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.
Is Lavra still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lavra in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Lavra can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Lavra?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.