Whatever happened to Laura?

[SharpieHarpie]

I am a mid 30s Laura, and I never hear the name used for children, babies or even anyone under 30. It was SO popular when I was at school, I hated it! There were at least 2-3 Lauras in every class from reception to 6th form, all differentiated by our surname initials. However as I got older it seemed to die out super abruptly in a way that Charlotte, Claire etc (probably as popular in the mid 80s?) never did. And as I’ve got older I like it more and more as it’s kind of unusual now.

So, would you consider Laura as a name for your daughter? If so why/why not? Are you a Laura, do you have a Laura, or know a baby Laura? I’d love to hear.

I know a few Lauras who are older than 50. Classic name.

Lauren is a name that looks pretty but doesn't sound nice. Lorrun. Yuk

Lara is nice but seems to be weaker than Laura.

41 year old Laura checking in 👍

I was at school with one other and have come across one or two others since. Agree it's a name that works in a lot of languages which is sometimes helpful on holidays and such

I quite like it as a name and if it wasn't mine I would definitely consider giving it to a dd. My middle name is Claire which is also getting a lot of love on this thread which is nice, I always thought Claire was quite a boring name

Laura is beautiful. I wonder if it’s still popular in Italy, it’s country of origin where generally people still love and use traditional names for their children.

It's a nice enough name but reminds me of a horrible bully at my first job that made my life hell. It's kind of ruined the name for me which I know is irrational.

I know a few Laura’s of my age (29/30) but no babies/little girls which is a shame as I love Laura.

Oddly enough though, I know of 4 baby boys called Laurie who have been born this year so may or Laura will increase in popularity! I hope so x

@mum2jakie

I think Claire has died out as well though. I don't know any Claires under 35?

I know an 11yr old Claire

And a 17yr old Laura

@ForTheLoveOfSleep

I'm a Laura. 33 years old. My mum chose it because of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I love my name and am the only Laura I know 😁

My daughter is called Laura for exactly the same reason!

I prefer it to Lauren which is a younger name

I know a younger Lauren but no Laura's.

I know a 12 year old Laura.

Most names go in cycles because parents try to choose something that isn’t super common for their child. Some names never get extremely popular and so never quite go out of fashion either.

Eg a grandparent who’s just died probably had a name that’s just about to come back into fashion. So my grandparents generation had loads of Frankie, Ada, Albert, Ivy, Florence, Oscar etc and now lots of young children have those names.

Laura will be back as a baby name in 30-50 years ;)

I'm a Lauren, I used to hate it because there wasn't any others, I always wanted to be called Laura.

I know of an 8 year old Laura and a 2 year old Laura. I assumed it stopped being used due to overuse. It seemed to every other girl’s middle name at some point.

Was on my list but we went for Emma instead because its easier to spell. (Stupid long foreign surname).

As soon as I hear the name Laura, the tune of ‘Tell Laura I love her’ starts up in my brain.

Laura is a really beautiful name and doesn't sound dated really.

Also love Lauren, which still sounds very fresh to my ears.

I love the name Laura, classic & timeless.

I’m a 38-year-old Laura, and somehow managed to be the only one in my (all girls) secondary school the whole time I was there. So despite the fact that there were a couple of others in primary, and I’ve regularly been one of multiple Lauras in every context since (work, NCT, volunteering, children’s school etc), I’ve never felt bothered by how popular it was in the 80s. I was named after my grandmother, who was born in 1920, so it feels quite timeless to me. (Plus Petrarch! Nothing like having 800 year old love poetry with your name in...).
Haven’t met any little ones though. Presumably all the current mums have too many friends called Laura to consider it for their own children.

It's a lovely name but I know one who metaphorically threw a bomb onto our family so I couldn't and wouldn't want to use it now. Sad how 1 person can change your mind on a name.

*into not on to

I named my first, and tragically stillborn, daughter Laura, 16 years ago. I have loved the name since I was a child obsessed with Laura Ingalls Wilder

My best friend is a Laura, we are 37 and I don’t know any younger ones. I have an equally popular (maybe even more so) 80s name that seems to have died out - Louise. There were 5 of us in my class at one point!

So sorry for your loss @labtest57 - it is a lovely name

I had my children in the mid-90s. All boys, but I considered Laura for a girl. I loved it then and still do now.

I have a toddler Laura!

The midwife commented on how unusual it was which was very funny to my child-of-the-80s ears!