girl's name
Laurel
LOR-ul
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 50,709
the United States
#735
2025 births
Laurel names the plant directly, which sets it apart from Lora and Loren on this site — those reach the laurel through a Roman town, while this one is simply the tree. Our data marks the name reviving.
- Laurel is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1956, when 1,197 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1950s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 8,912 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1883.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Laurel over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 52 |
| 1890s | 114 |
| 1900s | 142 |
| 1910s | 652 |
| 1920s | 1,958 |
| 1930s | 1,875 |
| 1940s | 5,145 |
| 1950s | 9,603 |
| 1960s | 6,469 |
| 1970s | 4,109 |
| 1980s | 4,958 |
| 1990s | 4,379 |
| 2000s | 3,445 |
| 2010s | 3,618 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,454 |
What Laurel means
Laurel means the bay tree. It names the plant itself rather than a place or a person, so the victory sense comes from what was done with its leaves.
Where Laurel comes from
Laurel is the English name of the bay tree, from the Latin laurus. Wreaths of it crowned victors and poets, which gives laureate and, through the medieval habit of crowning graduates, baccalaureate — and resting on your laurels is a warning against living off an old win. Lora and Loren, elsewhere on this site, descend from Laurentum, a town named for its laurels, so they reach the same plant at one remove. Our data marks the name reviving.
Laurel in use
Laurel peaked in the United States in 1956, when 1,197 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It now ranks 735th in the United States on 372 births, 1789th in England and Wales on 17 and 6991st in France on 5, across 50,709 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. About 96 percent of recorded births are female.
How popular is Laurel?
In 2025, Laurel was given to 372 babies in the United States, ranking #735 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Laurel is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Laurel
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Laurel also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Laurel over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Laurel in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Laurel
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Laurel — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Laurel
What does the name Laurel mean?
The bay tree — the Latin laurus, naming the plant directly.
How is it different from Lora?
Lora and Loren come through Laurentum, a town named for its laurels. Laurel is the tree itself.
Where does laureate come from?
The laurel crown given to victors and poets. Baccalaureate comes from crowning graduates.
Is Laurel coming back?
Our data marks it reviving, at 735th in the United States.
How popular is the name Laurel?
In 2025, Laurel was given to 372 babies in the United States, ranking #735 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Laurel a girl's or a boy's name?
Laurel is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Laurel?
Laurel has 2 syllables.
When was Laurel most popular?
Laurel peaked in 1956, when 1,197 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1950s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Laurel a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Laurel currently ranks #735 in the United States. After peaking in the 1950s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.