Laurel

About Laurel

Laurel is an English tree name, ultimately from Latin laurus. Its botanical meaning comes with an old association with poetry and achievement through the laurel wreath. Historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich gives the name a modern literary connection of its own.

The tree-name family

Laurel comes directly from the English name of the tree. Laura and French Laure belong to the same wider Latin-rooted family, while Laurelle and Lorelle are related English forms.

The full Laurel keeps the tree word especially visible. Its final consonant distinguishes it from Laura, giving the two names different rhythms despite their common origin.

In English, Laurel is usually LOR-ul, with stress on the first syllable. The second syllable is unstressed, and the two “l” sounds frame the name. “Laurie” is a familiar related form that could also serve as an everyday nickname.

Apollo, Daphne, and the wreath

The laurel’s cultural history is closely connected with the story of Apollo and Daphne. Pursued by Apollo, Daphne is transformed into a laurel tree. The god’s connection with the tree gives the wreath a place in the world of poetry.

A print in the Metropolitan Museum of Art depicts the pursuit and Daphne’s transformation within the same composition. The sequence turns a moving human figure into a tree, making the myth’s central change visible.

Because Apollo was associated with poetry, the laurel wreath became linked with the victorious poet. That artistic history gives Laurel associations extending beyond the tree itself: its leaves became an image of recognition, carried through literature and visual art.

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s history

Historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is the author of A Midwife’s Tale. The book reconstructs the life and work of Martha Ballard, a midwife and healer who kept a diary in Hallowell, Maine, between 1785 and 1812.

Ballard’s entries recorded both her professional work and her domestic life. Ulrich used that detailed record to recover a world that can be difficult to see through accounts focused mainly on public officials or major political events.

The book won the Pulitzer Prize in History in 1991. Its subject brings together work, family, community, and the daily experience of early American women. For Laurel, it provides a namesake whose achievement lies in making another woman’s life visible.

Popularity in the United States

Laurel’s strongest American year for girls was 1956, when 1,181 received the name and it ranked No. 241. It was given to 463 girls in 2000 and 233 in 2010.

In 2025, the count was 372 and the rank No. 734. Its recent use has recovered from the 2010 level, while remaining far below its mid-century peak.

Laurel also has a smaller historical record for boys in the United States, though the much larger female series accounts for its principal American naming pattern.

How popular is Laurel?

In 2025, Laurel ranked #734 among girls in the United States, with 372 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1883; its largest annual count was 1,181 in 1956. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.