The Baby Name Wizard

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

Comments and insights on the name Laurel: | Edit

Part of the Botanical Names trend for girls, along with Lily, Rose, Violet, and Ivy

Personal experiences with the name Laurel: | Edit

*My daughter is Laurel, people constantly mishear it as Lauren or Laura
*My daughter is also named Laurel, but we don't pronounce it LAW-rel as noted above. It's more like LORE-l, with the first syllable like LORE in folklore.
*I have enjoyed having this name! It is a pretty flower, but also a sturdy tree, so if you are attracted to flower names but don't want your daughter to sound too dainty, this is a nice choice. The mountain laurel is common in the Appalachians and blooms in early summer; it is the state flower of Pennsylvania. (As a teenager who didn't always want to be TOO pretty, I also took secret delight in knowing the plant was poisonous!) I also like that it sounds classical (but not too stuffy or fancy) and connotes praise and victory - the ancient Greeks and Romans used to crown heroes with wreaths of laurel - though the phrase "resting on your laurels" can be punned on to unfortunate effect. Our family also pronounces it more like LORE-l, but it is commonly enough misheard that I answer to Laura, Lauren, Laurie, etc. Especially because of the final L, this name is very difficult to pronounce for speakers of languages such as Korean that do not distinguish between L and R (yes, I have been called "Roller"), so perhaps not the best choice if you expect your daughter to be a real globe-trotter!

Nicknames for Laurel: | Edit

Elle, Ellie, Laurie, Lo, Lollie

Meanings and history of the name Laurel: | Edit

Wreaths of laurel were used to crown heroes in ancient Greece and Rome. The plant was associated with Apollo, god of the sun, reason and music.
(As the myth goes, Apollo was pursuing a nymph, Daphne, who escaped him by transforming into a laurel tree. She called on her father, a river spirit, to help her, and when he splashed water on her, she turned into this tree. Apollo declared that since he couldn't have the girl he would at least claim the branches of the tree. As a feminist, this story makes me sad and uncomfortable, and it is one of the few associations with my name that I don't like. But it is not commonly known, so unless you travel among classicists or fans of mythology no one is likely to think of it at all!)

Famous real-life people named Laurel: | Edit

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich - feminist historian; her book "A Midwife's Tale" won a Pulitzer Prize; she also launched the phrase, "Well-behaved women seldom make history."
Laurel Burch - artist/artisan and activist
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy - slapstick comedy duo
Laurell K. Hamilton - romance novelist

Laurel in song, story & screen: | Edit

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