Girls' name · since 1887

Lara

30,168 babies named Lara in U.S. Social Security records since 1887, with the highest year being 1969. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#741
among girls today
30,168
born since 1887
1970s
peak decade
96%
more common than other girls

30,168 babies have been named Lara since 1887, making it today's #741 girls' name.

Social Security Administration records show Lara recorded 30,168 times among girls since 1887, holding rank #741 nationally today, ahead of 96% of girls, peaking in the 1970s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1887 to 2025.

  • #741 among girls today
  • 30,168 born since 1887
  • 1970s peak decade
  • 96% more common than other girls

Data updated Jun 2026

The verdict

Lara is currently the #741 girls' name in America, more common than 96% of girls - 30,168 born since 1887, peaking in the 1970s.

#741
among girls today
30,168
born since 1887
1970s
peak decade
96%
more common than other girls

Lara vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings

0%100%Median name50%95.8%
Lara vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#741
of 17,726 girls in use

More common than 96% of names given to girls today.

1970s
Peak decade

25% of everyone ever named Lara was born in this single decade.

1969
Single peak year

1,354 babies were named Lara in 1969 - its busiest year on record.

How Lara compares

30,168 Top 5% higher than 95% of 17,726 names currently given to girls

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Lara's all-time total is 79x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Lara Median girls name (Emerly) #1 girls name (Olivia)
All-time total births 30,168 382 567,345
Peak-year births 1,354 48 19,840

Lara's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Lara's full recorded timeline at 1961, 97% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 3% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1887, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1969 peak of 1,354 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Lara at a glance

Top 1,000 girls' name

Total births

30,168

Since 1887

139 years of records

Peak year

1969

1,354 births that year

Strongest decade: 1970s

Current rank

#741

Among girls

As of 2025

Active since

1887

Recorded for 139 years

Last year on file: 2025

Lara popularity over time - girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1887–2025

Top 1,000 girls' name
Peak year (1969)
1,354
Annual births at peak, across 139 years of records
-50005001,0001,500 188719141931194819651982199920162025 409

Lara popularity over time - boys

34 total births recorded since 1918 (Lara as boys' name)

Unisex variant - 34 births
4.555.566.5 191819671969197019831990 6

Lara by decade

Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance

1970s was Lara's strongest decade.

7,612 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.

Lara births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1970s at 7,612 births (25% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of June 2026

How Lara compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Lara's total volume

Lara vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Lara vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10% 50100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year Lara
Lara vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Lara by state

Where Lara concentrates geographically, total births since 1887

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Lara
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
3,818 12.7%
#2 New York
2,494 8.3%
#3 Texas
2,170 7.2%
#4 Florida
1,683 5.6%
#5 Illinois
1,315 4.4%
#6 New Jersey
1,235 4.1%
#7 Pennsylvania
1,205 4.0%
#8 Ohio
1,004 3.3%
California share of Lara's total US births 12.7%
Even split

3,818 of 30,168 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.

Lara appears in 50 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Lara? ▼
30,168 babies have been named Lara since 1887. It currently ranks #741 among girls. The peak year was 1969 with 1,354 births.
When was Lara most popular? ▼
Lara was most popular in the 1970s decade with 7,612 total births. The single peak year was 1969.
Where is Lara most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Lara are California (3,818 births), New York (2,494 births), Texas (2,170 births).
How long has the name Lara been used? ▼
Records for Lara go back to 1887, giving 139 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Lara? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Larissa, Larue, Larry, Laraine, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

What to do with Lara's data

  • Lara's decade-level peak was the 1970s (7,612 total births); usage has since declined to 2,420 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • California records the most Laras (3,818 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
  • Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Lara

Nearby Names Like Lara

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Lara

Larissa Girl
#1611 23,498 births
Larue Girl
#10306 3,980 births
Larry Girl
3,560 births
Laraine Girl
#13570 3,478 births
Larisa Girl
#6218 3,458 births

Compare Lara side by side: Lara vs Larissa Lara vs Larue Lara vs Larry

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Lara

Mckinley #740
13,098 births · Peak 2014
Michaela #742
53,633 births · Peak 1997
Fallon #739
11,634 births · Peak 1982
Novalee #743
4,567 births · Peak 2024
Marisol #738
35,041 births · Peak 1996
Birdie #744
14,708 births · Peak 2025
Emmie #737
10,387 births · Peak 2018
Lacey #745
53,774 births · Peak 1984

Data Sources

Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1887–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Cite this page

NameAlmanac Editorial. "Lara: #741 Girls' Name - 30,168 Births, Peak 1969." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/lara. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Lara draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.