Lara
Say it: LAR-a/ˈlɑː.ɹə/
Girl4 letters2 syllables
#102
in Ireland (2025)
47
babies in 2025
#80
best rank (2002)
1,696
babies since 1968
Down 5
10-year rank change
Lara through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 47 | #102 |
| 2024 | 33 | #142 |
| 2023 | 43 | #110 |
| 2022 | 49 | #105 |
| 2021 | 66 | #84 |
| 2020 | 65 | #81 |
| 2019 | 54 | #104 |
| 2018 | 65 | #93 |
| 2017 | 64 | #91 |
| 2016 | 63 | #93 |
| 2015 | 66 | #97 |
| 2014 | 66 | #98 |
| 2013 | 72 | #95 |
| 2012 | 54 | #114 |
| 2011 | 67 | #101 |
| 2010 | 65 | #102 |
| 2009 | 53 | #124 |
| 2008 | 41 | #148 |
| 2007 | 66 | #93 |
| 2006 | 52 | #110 |
| 2005 | 40 | #123 |
| 2004 | 51 | #104 |
| 2003 | 50 | #103 |
| 2002 | 62 | #80 |
| 2001 | 44 | #110 |
| 2000 | 44 | #98 |
| 1999 | 28 | #136 |
| 1998 | 21 | #166 |
| 1997 | 18 | #235 |
| 1996 | 14 | #248 |
| 1995 | 12 | #272 |
| 1994 | 4 | #450 |
| 1993 | 5 | #415 |
| 1992 | 4 | #455 |
| 1991 | 11 | #284 |
| 1990 | 3 | #517 |
| 1989 | 4 | #445 |
| 1988 | 10 | #304 |
| 1987 | 7 | #362 |
| 1986 | 5 | #422 |
| 1985 | 6 | #386 |
| 1984 | 7 | #365 |
| 1983 | 6 | #401 |
| 1982 | 5 | #425 |
| 1981 | 6 | #386 |
| 1980 | 6 | #401 |
| 1979 | 6 | #391 |
| 1978 | 6 | #388 |
| 1977 | 3 | #518 |
| 1976 | 8 | #329 |
| 1975 | 7 | #343 |
| 1974 | 5 | #393 |
| 1973 | 5 | #402 |
| 1972 | 10 | #285 |
| 1971 | 7 | #326 |
| 1970 | 4 | #396 |
| 1969 | 8 | #288 |
| 1968 | 3 | #401 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Lara mean?
Uncertain
Russian pet form of Larisa, made known in English by Doctor Zhivago.
Say it right
LARa
The story of Lara
Lara came into English from Russian, where it is a pet form of Larisa. English speakers came to know it through Lara, the heroine of Boris Pasternak’s novel Doctor Zhivago (1957) and the film made from it in 1965. The deeper meaning of Larisa is not clear, so the meaning is left as uncertain here. Lara is also a surname in several languages.
In Ireland Lara first reached the list in 1968 and was given to a few girls most years through the 1970s and 1980s. It became more common from the late 1990s, and its best rank was number 80 in 2002. The most girls were given it in 2013, with 72. It was number 102 in 2025. In Northern Ireland it did best in 2023, when it was 51st.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Lara (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Lara (name)
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Lara | 47 | 1,696 |
In Northern Ireland
#132 in 2025 with 15 babies. Best rank #51 (2023); 679 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.