Loura
A feminine name derived from the French word "loure," meaning a type of dance.
Name Census estimates that about 395 living Americans carry the first name Loura. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Loura today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Loura births was 1963 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Loura. 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
395
~ 1 in 867,733 Americans
Peak year
1963
30 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
1997 SSA rank
#15,124
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Loura: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Loura from the 1910s through to the 1990s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 204 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
Loura 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 Loura during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Louras live
Origin
Meaning and history of Loura
The name Loura finds its origins in the Latin language, tracing back to ancient Roman times. It is derived from the Latin word "laurus," meaning laurel, a plant that was highly revered in ancient Roman culture and was used as a symbol of victory, honor, and achievement.
Loura was a relatively uncommon name during the classical period, but it gained some prominence in the Middle Ages. One of the earliest recorded bearers of this name was Loura of Siena, an Italian nun who lived in the 13th century and was known for her piety and charitable works.
In the Renaissance era, the name Loura was associated with artistic and intellectual circles. Loura Battiferri (1523-1589) was an Italian Renaissance poet and writer who was celebrated for her lyrical works and her contributions to the development of the Italian language.
The name also found its way into the realm of music. Loura Pincini (1678-1738) was an Italian opera singer who performed in some of the most prestigious theaters of her time, including the Teatro San Cassiano in Venice.
In the 19th century, Loura became a more widely used name, particularly in certain regions of Europe. Loura Secchi (1818-1898) was an Italian astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of sunspots and solar phenomena.
Another notable figure with this name was Loura Kedrova (1909-1992), a Russian-born actress who won an Academy Award for her supporting role in the film "Zorba the Greek" in 1964.
While the name Loura has never been among the most popular names, it has maintained a presence throughout history, often associated with creativity, intellect, and achievement in various fields.
People
Loura + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Loura 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
Loura: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Loura?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 395 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Loura 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 867,733 US residents.
Is Loura a common name?
We classify Loura as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 552 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Loura most popular?
The single biggest year for Loura was 1963, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Loura is about 58 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Loura a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Loura 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.