How Many People Are Named Laura?
An estimated 572,579 people in the United States have the first name Laura. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #67 overall. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 51 years old, and Laura peaked in popularity in 1964 with 19,008 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Patrick (571,090).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Laura as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Laura paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Laura is overwhelmingly female, 2,579 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Laura has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1960s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
572,579
About 1 in 599 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Common
Predicted Gender
Female
99.7% confidence
Average Age
51
years old
Peak Year
1964
19,008 births
Total Registered
803,566
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Laura
Laura is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 803,566 total births registered, 99.7% were female.
Laura as a male name
Ranked #13,523 in 2011
5 male births in 2011
Peak: 1971 (67 births)
Laura as a female name
Ranked #359 in 2024
868 female births in 2024
Peak: 1964 (18,967 births)
Laura: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Laura span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1960s, when 174,630 babies were registered. Laura has declined significantly from its peak in the 1960s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Laura by Decade
How has Laura tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 12,833 | 27 | 12,806 | |
| 1890s | 16,486 | 53 | 16,433 | |
| 1900s | 15,578 | 46 | 15,532 | |
| 1910s | 30,646 | 97 | 30,549 | |
| 1920s | 36,141 | 150 | 35,991 | |
| 1930s | 25,240 | 147 | 25,093 | |
| 1940s | 35,176 | 105 | 35,071 | |
| 1950s | 95,744 | 217 | 95,527 | |
| 1960s | 174,630 | 449 | 174,181 | |
| 1970s | 118,661 | 454 | 118,207 | |
| 1980s | 135,210 | 599 | 134,611 | |
| 1990s | 67,443 | 192 | 67,251 | |
| 2000s | 25,074 | 38 | 25,036 | |
| 2010s | 10,445 | 5 | 10,440 | |
| 2020s | 4,259 | 0 | 4,259 | |
Laura by State
Birth registrations for Laura span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, New York, Texas. The lowest are in Wyoming, Alaska, Vermont. On average, about 14,823 Lauras were registered per state.
Laura + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Laura as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Laura
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
Laura: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Laura?
We estimate approximately 572,579 people named Laura are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 599 Americans share this first name.
Is Laura a common name?
Laura is classified as "Very Common" and is more popular than 99.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 803,566 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Laura most popular?
Laura reached peak popularity in 1964, when 19,008 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Laura is approximately 51 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Laura a female name?
Laura is predominantly female. 99.7% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Laura Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Laura Smith, Laura Johnson, Laura Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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