The Baby Name Wizard

Reader Contributions

Contribute to, or edit, this collection of community wisdom on the name Lara!

Comments and insights on the name Lara: | Edit

Okay, so as the other person had said about having the name mixed up with 'Laura' or the occasional 'Lair-ah' falls true for me too. Even the part with having my friends correcting and being more...harsh on others when they pronounce it wrong, when I don't. I really don't care - I know it is a harder and uncommon name to pronounce and don't make a fit about it when it gets pronounced wrong.

One thing that is hard to deal with with the name is the whole 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider' thing. Many people think that I was named after her ((even though I was born before her)) and often try to compare me with her, but besides that - I never really get a hassel for my name, and I love it quite a lot.

Personal experiences with the name Lara: | Edit

I love my name! I've had very few bad experiences with it. An ex-boyfriend discovered the similarity between Lara and lava/larva, but no one else ever did. I have gotten called "Laura" all my life, and it's funny - my friends are much more militant about correcting people than I am. "It's not Laura - it's LAH-RAH!" I occasionally get "Lair-ah" but that's rare. In some situations (i.e. over the phone) I'll purposely pronounce my name "Laura" to make it easier on people, but it's not a huge inconvenience. I've never felt my name was crazy or unusual enough to be weird, but I was always the only Lara I knew. I often get complimented on it (though, of course, I really had nothing to do with it). I wouldn't trade my name for anything.

Nicknames for Lara: | Edit

Lala
Lalabell
Lars
Larsie
Lari
Larita
Rah-rah
Larri
Lolly
Lara-Lou

Meanings and history of the name Lara: | Edit

"Famous" in Russian, "Cheerful" in Greek, "The Smile" in Spanish, & also a popular Hispanic surname.

Famous real-life people named Lara: | Edit

Lara Flynn Boyle, actor
Lara Cardella, Italian writer
Lara Hedberg Deam, magazine founder
Lara Dutta, Indian actress
Lara Fabian, French and English-language singer
Lara Logan, news anchor / television journalist for CBS News
Lara Jill Miller, actress ("Gimme a Break!")
Lara Spencer (Insider host)
Lara St. John, Canadian Violinist

Lara in song, story & screen: | Edit

Lara Antipova and "Lara's Theme" from "Dr. Zhivago"
Lara Croft (Tomb Raider video game)
Lara Lor-Van (Superman's mother)