Girls' name · peaked in 1968
Laura name popularity since 1925
709,162 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Laura. Half of them were born in 1970 or earlier, so the typical Laura is about 56 years old in 2026. Laura peaked in 1968 as the #11 name for girls, and it ranked #379 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 709,162
- Named Laura, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #379
- for girls in 2025 (805 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.7% girls
- 706,881 girls · 2,281 boys
- Most popular in
- Connecticut
- 1.36× its national share
Peak year is the year Laura made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Laura births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1964. Measured as a share of all babies, Laura peaked in 1968.
- Fastest rise: Between 1944 and 1949, Laura became 1.9× more common, from 1 in 591 baby girls to 1 in 318.
- Steepest fall: Between 2005 and 2010, its share of baby girls fell by 46%, from 1 in 784 to 1 in 1,460.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Laura's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Laura.
Decade by decade
Babies named Laura in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 16,381 | 75 | – |
| 1930s | 25,093 | 147 | #101 |
| 1940s | 35,071 | 105 | #77 |
| 1950s | 95,526 | 217 | #41 |
| 1960s | 174,185 | 449 | #17 |
| 1970s | 118,204 | 454 | #20 |
| 1980s | 134,608 | 599 | #14 |
| 1990s | 67,253 | 192 | #56 |
| 2000s | 25,043 | 38 | #146 |
| 2010s | 10,442 | 5 | #320 |
| 2020–25 | 5,075 | 0 | #379 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
30.5% of babies named Laura from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen X years (1965–1980). The full split by generation:
Where Laura is most popular
The index compares Laura's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Laura.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | 1.36× | 10,553 |
| Alaska | 1.30× | 1,385 |
| Wyoming | 1.25× | 1,211 |
| Illinois | 1.24× | 43,201 |
| Vermont | 1.24× | 1,477 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Laura's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Laura.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Laura (1968).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data