Laura

Laura

See also: laura and Laurą

English

Alternative forms

• Lora (rare)

Etymology

From Late Latin saint's name Laura, from the feminine form of laurus (“laurel tree”). A post-classical name made famous by Petrarch's sonnets to Laura in the fourteenth century.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈlɔɹə/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈlɔːɹə/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔːɹə
• Homophone: Lara (with cot-caught and father-bother mergers)

Proper noun

Laura

1. A female given name from Latin.
   • c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene iv]:

     Now is he for the numbers that Petrarch flowed in; Laura to his lady was but a kitchen-wench; marry, she had a better love to be-rime her;

   • 1960 Peter S. Beagle: A Fine And Private Place. Random House Publishing, 1982:The Fantasy Worlds of Peter Beagle. →ISBN page 258:

     Laura was saying something. A mellifluous name, he thought. I wish she were far away, so I could call her.

   • 2019 February 7, Elly Griffiths, The Stone Circle: The Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries 11, Hachette UK, →ISBN:

     'Mine's Laura'./ 'A beautiful name.'/ Laura has never liked her name. It's too old-fashioned and has, to her mind, a slightly whiny sound, like the twang of a country and western guitar. In fact she was given the name because Michelle liked the song 'Tell Laura I Love Her'.

Usage notes

• Also used as a feminine equivalent of Laurence.

Related terms

• Laurel, Lauren, Lauretta, Laurie, Lol, Loretta, Lori, Lorraine

Translations

female given name

Catalan: Laura (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 羅娜／罗娜 (Luónà), 蘿拉／萝拉 (Luólā), 勞拉／劳拉 (Láolā) Danish: Laura Dutch: Laura (nl) Esperanto: Laŭra Estonian: Laura (et) Finnish: Laura (fi) French: Laura (fr), Laure (fr) Galician: Laura (gl) f German: Laura (de) Greek: Λαύρα (el) f (Lávra) Hebrew: לורה‎ f (lóra), לאורה‎ f (láura) Hungarian: Laura (hu) Italian: Laura (it) Japanese: ローラ (Rōra) Latin: Laura Latvian: Laura f Norwegian: Laura (no) Polish: Laura (pl) f Portuguese: Laura (pt) f Romanian: Laura Russian: Ло́ра (ru) f (Lóra), Ла́ура (ru) f (Láura) Slovene: Lavra (sl) f Spanish: Laura (es) Swedish: Laura (sv) Welsh: Lowri f

Anagrams

• aural

---

Czech

Etymology

From Latin Laura.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈlau̯ra]
• Hyphenation: Lau‧ra

Proper noun

Laura f

1. a female given name

Declension

Declension of Laura

	singular	plural
nominative	Laura	Laury
genitive	Laury	Laur
dative	Lauře	Laurám
accusative	Lauru	Laury
vocative	Lauro	Laury
locative	Lauře	Laurách
instrumental	Laurou	Laurami

---

Danish

Etymology

From Latin Laura.

Proper noun

Laura

1. a female given name

References

• Danskernes Navne, based on CPR data: 21 161 females with the given name Laura have been registered in Denmark between about 1890 (=the population alive in 1967) and January 2005, with the frequency peak in the 2000s. Accessed on 19 June 2011.

---

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin Laura.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɑu̯.raː/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Lau‧ra

Proper noun

Laura f

1. a female given name

---

Estonian

Etymology

From Latin Laura.

Proper noun

Laura

1. a female given name

---

Faroese

Proper noun

Laura

1. a female given name

Usage notes

Matronymics

• son of Laura: Lauruson
• daughter of Laura: Laurudóttir

Declension

	Singular
	Indefinite
Nominative	Laura
Accusative	Lauru
Dative	Lauru
Genitive	Lauru

---

Finnish

Etymology

From Latin Laura.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɑu̯rɑ/, [ˈlɑu̯rɑ]
• Rhymes: -ɑurɑ
• Syllabification^(key): Lau‧ra

Proper noun

Laura

1. a female given name
   • 1931, Frans Emil Sillanpää, “Nuorena nukkunut”, in Silja ja Ihmiset suviyössä, Suuri Suomalainen Kirjakerho, published 1988, →ISBN, page 63:

     Ja sen jälkeen taas parin vuoden kuluttua tyttö, jonka nimeksi pantiin Laura, sekin Salmeluksen vanhoja perintönimiä.

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

   • 1991 Anna-Leena Härkönen, Akvaariorakkautta, Otava (2008), →ISBN, s.183:

     —Tässä on meidän Laura ja tuo pienempi on Suvi, Marita sano.

     Mä ajattelin tylsänä että kiva ku joku sinänsä epäsovinnainen ihminen oli antanu lapsilleen ihan normaalit nimet eikä mitään muotiväännöksiä niin ku monet. Kaikki sampot ja santerit ja tonterit säälittää mua suunnattomasti.

   • 2013, Kari Hotakainen, Luonnon laki, Siltala, →ISBN, pages 17-18:

     Sen ojensi hänelle sairaanhoitaja, jonka vasemman rinnan yläpuolella oli nimikyltti: Laura. Nimi toi Rautalan mieleen vanhojen elokuvien palvelijan, joka alistuneesti nyökkäillen sipsuttelee isossa ruokasalissa tarkistamassa, että kaikki on varmasti valmiina mahakkaan tilanomistajan ja hänen rouvansa ruokailuhetkeä varten. Kävi mielessä myös mainoksen Elovena-tyttö, vaikka Lauran hiuksen olivat pikimustat ja hänellä oli korvissaan mustat napit. Hutiin siis meni Rautalan arvaus.

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

Declension

Inflection of Laura (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
nominative		Laura	Laurat
genitive		Lauran	Laurojen
partitive		Lauraa	Lauroja
illative		Lauraan	Lauroihin
		singular	plural
nominative		Laura	Laurat
accusative	nom.	Laura	Laurat
	gen.	Lauran
genitive		Lauran	Laurojen Laurainrare
partitive		Lauraa	Lauroja
inessive		Laurassa	Lauroissa
elative		Laurasta	Lauroista
illative		Lauraan	Lauroihin
adessive		Lauralla	Lauroilla
ablative		Lauralta	Lauroilta
allative		Lauralle	Lauroille
essive		Laurana	Lauroina
translative		Lauraksi	Lauroiksi
instructive		—	Lauroin
abessive		Lauratta	Lauroitta
comitative		—	Lauroineen

Possessive forms of Laura (type kala)
possessor	singular	plural
1st person	Laurani	Lauramme
2nd person	Laurasi	Lauranne
3rd person	Lauransa

---

French

Etymology

From Late Latin Laura. A Latinate variant of Laure.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɔ.ʁa/

• Audio

  (file)

Proper noun

Laura f

1. a female given name

---

German

Etymology

From Latin Laura.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈlaʊ̯ʁa]

• Audio (Austria)

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Lau‧ra

Proper noun

Laura (genitive Lauras or Laura)

1. a female given name

---

Italian

Etymology

From Latin Laura.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈl‿aw.ra/
• Rhymes: -awra

Proper noun

Laura f

1. a female given name

---

Latvian

Etymology

First recorded as a given name of Latvians in 1819. From Latin Laura.

Proper noun

Laura f

1. a female given name

Related terms

• Lauris

References

• Klāvs Siliņš: Latviešu personvārdu vārdnīca. Riga "Zinātne" 1990, →ISBN
• Population Register of Latvia: Laura was the only given name of 8301 persons in Latvia on May 21st 2010.

---

Lithuanian

Proper noun

Laura f

1. a female given name

---

Norwegian

Etymology

From Latin Laura.

Proper noun

Laura

1. a female given name

---

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin Laura.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlaw.ra/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -awra
• Syllabification: Lau‧ra

Proper noun

Laura f

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Laura

Declension

Declension of Laura

	singular	plural
nominative	Laura	Laury
genitive	Laury	Laur
dative	Laurze	Laurom
accusative	Laurę	Laury
instrumental	Laurą	Laurami
locative	Laurze	Laurach
vocative	Lauro	Laury

Further reading

• Laura in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• Laura in Polish dictionaries at PWN

---

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin Laura.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈlaw.ɾɐ/ [ˈlaʊ̯.ɾɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈlaw.ɾɐ/ [ˈlaʊ̯.ɾɐ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈlaw.ɾa/ [ˈlaʊ̯.ɾa]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈlaw.ɾɐ/

• Homophone: laura
• Rhymes: -awɾɐ
• Hyphenation: Lau‧ra

Proper noun

Laura f

1. a female given name from Latin, equivalent to English Laura

---

Slovak

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɫau̯ra/

Proper noun

Laura f (genitive singular Laury, nominative plural Laury, declension pattern of žena)

1. a female given name

Declension

Declension of Laura

	singular	plural
nominative	Laura	Laury
genitive	Laury	Láur
dative	Laure	Laurám
accusative	Lauru	Laury
locative	Laure	Laurách
instrumental	Laurou	Laurami

Derived terms

• Lara
• Lola, Lolka
• Lolina, Lolinka
• Lalina, Lalinka
• Lóra
• Laurika
• Lorka

Further reading

• Laura in Slovak dictionaries at slovnik.juls.savba.sk

---

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin Laura.

Proper noun

Laura f

1. a female given name from Latin

---

Swedish

Etymology

From Latin Laura. First recorded in Sweden in 1737.

Proper noun

Laura c (genitive Lauras)

1. a female given name