Total births
801,811
Girls' name · since 1880
Laura
Laura has 801,811 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1964 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #357
- among girls today
- 801,811
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
801,811 babies have been named Laura since 1880, making it today's #357 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Laura has been recorded 801,811 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #357 nationally and more common than 98% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1960s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #357 among girls today
- 801,811 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
- 98% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Laura is currently the #357 girls' name in America, more common than 98% of girls - 801,811 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #357
- among girls today
- 801,811
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Laura vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#357
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 98% of names given to girls today.
1960s
Peak decade
22% of everyone ever named Laura was born in this single decade.
1964
Single peak year
18,967 babies were named Laura in 1964 - its busiest year on record.
How Laura compares
801,811 Top 0% higher than 100% 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
Laura's all-time total is 2,099x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Laura | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 801,811 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 18,967 | 48 | 19,840 |
Laura's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Laura splits its recorded history at 1953: 76% of all births land in the more recent half, 24% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 2025 (805 births) -- compare that against the 1964 peak of 18,967 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Laura at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1964
Current rank
#357
Active since
1880
Laura popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1964)
- 18,967
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Laura popularity over time - boys
2,579 total births recorded since 1882 (Laura as boys' name)
Laura by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Laura's strongest decade.
174,185 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Laura births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 12,806
1880s
12,806 births
- 1890s 16,433
1890s
16,433 births
- 1900s 15,532
1900s
15,532 births
- 1910s 30,549
1910s
30,549 births
- 1920s 35,991
1920s
35,991 births
- 1930s 25,093
1930s
25,093 births
- 1940s 35,071
1940s
35,071 births
- 1950s
1950s
95,526 births
- 1960s
1960s
174,185 births
- 1970s
1970s
118,204 births
- 1980s
1980s
134,608 births
- 1990s 67,253
1990s
67,253 births
- 2000s 25,043
2000s
25,043 births
- 2010s 10,442
2010s
10,442 births
- 2020s 5,075
2020s
5,075 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 174,185 births (22% of all-time use).
How Laura 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 Laura's total volume
Laura vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Laura by state
Where Laura concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 76,244 | 9.5% |
| #2 | New York | | 62,589 | 7.8% |
| #3 | Texas | | 56,499 | 7.0% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 45,029 | 5.6% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 38,184 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 35,773 | 4.5% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 32,926 | 4.1% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 23,555 | 2.9% |
California share of Laura's total US births 9.5%
Even split
76,244 of 801,811 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Laura appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Laura? ▼
801,811 babies have been named Laura since 1880. It currently ranks #357 among girls. The peak year was 1964 with 18,967 births.
When was Laura most popular? ▼
Laura was most popular in the 1960s decade with 174,185 total births. The single peak year was 1964.
Where is Laura most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Laura are California (76,244 births), New York (62,589 births), Texas (56,499 births).
How long has the name Laura been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Laura since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Laura? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Lauren, Laurie, Laurel, Lauryn, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Laura's data
- Laura's decade-level peak was the 1960s (174,185 total births); usage has since declined to 5,075 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Lauras (76,244 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 Laura
Nearby Names Like Laura
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Laura
Lauren Girl
#351 475,577 births
Laurie Girl
#3048 166,488 births
Laurel Girl
#729 47,113 births
Lauryn Girl
#1107 22,156 births
Lauri Girl
11,063 births
Compare Laura side by side: Laura vs Lauren Laura vs Laurie Laura vs Laurel
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Laura
Sylvie #356
8,444 births · Peak 2025
Azalea #358
11,739 births · Peak 2025
London #355
44,455 births · Peak 2013
Sabrina #359
142,601 births · Peak 1997
Wrenlee #354
3,007 births · Peak 2024
Giselle #360
50,186 births · Peak 2007
Taylor #353
330,145 births · Peak 1993
Sylvia #361
245,070 births · Peak 1937
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Laura: #357 Girls' Name - 801,811 Births, Peak 1964." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/laura. 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 Laura 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.