Lara

Lara: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “citadel; protection”
Origin: Latin
Say it: LAR-uh · 2 syllables
Used for: Girls

Lara is commonly treated as a short form of Larissa or Laura in some languages, but it is also an established name in its own right. As a form connected with Larissa, it is often glossed 'citadel'.

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How popular is Lara?

2024114 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Lara in 2024379

2024 rank#740 girls

Peak year1969

Total US babies since 188029,789

Lara has been fairly stable over the last fifteen years.

Names like Lara

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Larissacitadel · Greek
Camilayoung ceremonial attendant · Latin
Lunamoon · Latin
Auroradawn · Latin
Emilyrival · Latin
Norahonor · Latin
Lucylight · Latin
Gracegrace; favor · Latin

Lara questions

What does the name Lara mean?

Lara means "citadel; protection". It comes from Latin. Lara is commonly treated as a short form of Larissa or Laura in some languages, but it is also an established name in its own right. As a form connected with Larissa, it is often glossed 'citadel'.

Is Lara a boy or girl name?

Lara is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Lara?

379 US babies were named Lara in 2024. Its peak year was 1969.

How do you pronounce Lara?

Lara is usually pronounced LAR-uh.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.