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Lara

Gender
Girl
Say it
LAH-ra
Origin
Greek
UK rank, 2025
#103 for girls
US rank, 2025
#691 for girls

Lara is a girls' name of Greek origin, meaning “possibly citadel”. In 2025 it ranked 103rd for girls in the UK (522 babies) and 691st for girls in the US (409 babies).

What does Lara mean?

Greek: Russian short form of Larisa

“possibly citadel”

Made famous in the West by Lara, the heroine of Boris Pasternak's novel Doctor Zhivago.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Lara a girl's or a boy's name?

Lara is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 522 girls in the UK and 409 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Lara in the UK?

Rank in 2025
103rd among girls
Babies in 2025
522 about 1 in 530 girls
Five-year trend
Steady down 3% in five years
Same name in a class
2.6% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 522 girls in the UK were named Lara, making it the 103rd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 100th. Its busiest year was 2003, with 653 girls.

It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Lara than any year since 2017.

Half of all the girls named Lara in the UK since 1996 were born between 2004 and 2019. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.

Among girls in 2025, it was 98th in England and Wales, 106th in Scotland and 132nd in Northern Ireland.

In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 2004 (#98) and 2024 (#98).

1996Busiest: 653 in 20032025
Lara in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025522#103
2024526#101
2023610#88
2022630#87
2021608#98
2020556#100
2019606#95
2018542#109
2017504#124
2016548#118
2015516#123
2014554#114
2013559#111
2012576#110
2011573#112
2010545#119
2009515#118
2008589#106
2007558#108
2006618#98
2005557#105
2004598#99
2003653#86
2002557#100
2001399#132
2000385#138
1999399#137
1998396#133
1997362#148
1996278#174

How popular is Lara in the US?

Rank in 2025
691st among girls
Babies in 2025
409 about 1 in 3,900 girls
Five-year trend
Steady much the same
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 409 girls in the US were named Lara, making it the 691st most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 707th. Its busiest year was 1969, with 1,354 girls. It first appears in the records in 1887.

Half of all the girls named Lara in the US since 1880 were born between 1972 and 2004, the years shaded on the chart below.

1887Busiest: 1,354 in 19692025
Lara in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025409#691
2024380#741
2023384#731
2022424#693
2021427#681
2020396#707
2019413#701
2018359#759
2017365#761
2016378#755
2015345#812
2014337#821
2013295#874
2012313#852
2011278#929
2010301#880
2009287#930
2008292#932
2007290#932
2006322#834
2005319#811
2004359#735
2003349#732
2002402#635
2001336#724
2000262#846
1999278#787
1998259#822
1997242#846
1996271#773
1995260#772
1994287#723
1993276#751
1992353#638
1991379#594
1990442#538
1989480#489
1988558#418
1987539#413
1986538#409
1985487#449
1984508#419
1983514#422
1982626#370
1981583#387
1980579#393
1979500#420
1978561#376
1977662#342
1976775#293
1975637#344
1974600#360
1973662#334
1972830#296
19711,053#273
19701,332#235
19691,354#222
19681,295#227
1967945#277
1966236#617
196565#1,366
196457#1,497
196378#1,241
196261#1,419
196155#1,519
196049#1,596
195935#1,880
195832#1,938
195722#2,415
195630#1,967
195518#2,634
195429#1,948
195319#2,430
195219#2,410
195120#2,244
195017#2,435
194915#2,619
194817#2,415
194712#3,060
194615#2,481
19458#3,386
194413#2,510
19437#3,800
19429#3,192
194113#2,396
194012#2,423
193910#2,734
193811#2,578
193711#2,569
193618#1,801
193515#2,094
193413#2,288
193310#2,687
193213#2,363
193119#1,802
193018#1,933
192917#2,010
192815#2,283
192724#1,727
192621#1,882
192526#1,646
192420#1,991
192315#2,366
192218#2,109
192115#2,378
192018#2,079
191913#2,515
191812#2,673
191715#2,203
191619#1,805
191514#2,142
19146#3,187
19136#2,825
191210#1,843
191112#1,372
19108#1,773
19096#1,957
19087#1,676
19077#1,638
19068#1,416
19050–
19046#1,658
19030–
19020–
19010–
19007#1,560
18995#1,595
18985#1,699
18975#1,554
18960–
18950–
18945#1,484
18930–
18925#1,450
18915#1,332
18900–
18890–
18880–
18875#1,147

Names like Lara

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Athena, Lyra, Fatima, Mia, Thea, Myla, Zara, Erin, Lyla, Margot, Aurora, Sophia

Other spellings of Lara

Larah

Names related to Lara

Laura, Liara, Laraya, Laira, Larae, Lariah, Laray, Lariya

More Greek names

Luca, Theodore, George, Theo, Lucas, Sofia, Alexander, Sebastian, Penelope, Phoebe, Luke, Chloe, Sophie, Zoe, Iris, Maisie

Every Greek name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Lara: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/lara, updated 20 October 2026.