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Laura
I've always really liked the name Laura and I've always thought it was classic and charmingly old fashioned; I see it as comparable to Mary, Sarah, Helen, Julia etc. But lots of people seem to think it's dated and passe and no one would name a child Laura anymore. What's your opinion?
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I'd say it's a modern classic. I would categorize it with Rebecca, Amy, Rachel- names that do seem a little dated to the 70s-90s but have been used for a much longer time and just had a spike at some point.
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Pretty classic to me.But: A lot of people would see Mary, Helen, Sarah & Julia as dated and passe, too. Not everyone sees names as classic and timeless, unfortunately.That said: Laura is a lovely name that will age well and suit the child. It's got a lot of amazing namesakes and a lovely sound.
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I do quite like the name Laura, but I don't really think it's classic or old fashioned at all - I know a lot of people called Laura who are under 25. I'm 20 and I have at least 6 friends/acquaintances called Laura my age, and also a Louwra (LOW-ruh). Mary, Sarah, Helen and Julia are a lot more old fashioned in my opinion.On the other hand, it was my great-grandma's name, so I suppose I can see why some people think it's old fashioned if they've only met older people with the name.I don't really think it's dated either... it's popular amongst people my age but I don't think one would assume that a Laura was in her 20s. It'd be perfectly acceptable on a baby. It probably depends where you live as well.

This message was edited 1/5/2012, 9:33 AM

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That's surprising to me, that you don't think it's classic. It's been one of the most perennially popular names for centuries around the world! Same with Julia, and to a lesser extent (I think), Sarah. I agree that it's certainly not old-fashioned.
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I think Lara is pretty, and I pronounce it the same as Laura. I have a rather negative personal association with a Laura who I think is extremely selfish, so I would never use it. I do think Laura is a perfectly lovely name otherwise, if a little passé. Maybe it needs some rest. Laurel, however, I love. I *ADORE* the combo Laurel Amelia and have for decades.
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I've always loved Laura - much nicer than Lauren etc! - and would have used it joyfully, given enough daughters. I'd also use Helen. I like Mary and used it as a 2nd mn for our first daughter, after two Maria relatives. Sarah seems drab and Julia seems toffee-nosed and dated, but I like Sally and Juliet..
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Ha! What does toffee-nosed mean? I'm not in love with Sarah either; I much prefer Sally. Can't get behind Juliet though, I'm afraid.
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Toffee-nosed means upper class (negatively).
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Oh. Hmm... I've never thought of Julia as a particularly snobby name. But my sister's first name is Julia so that could be why. Thanks!
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I agree. Julia sounds perfectly normal to me. It isn't like, say, Alexis, which to me does say "bratty."
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Alexis does sound bratty, in a sit in a La-Z-boy recliner and watch soap operas with mommy kind of way.
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I like Laura but I prefer the spelling Lora better and the nickname Lori!
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I pronounce Laura and Lora differently. I've never thought of them as the same name.
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One of my biggest pet peeves, as a Laura, is when people pronounce my name as Lora. They are two distinct names with two distinct pronunciations.
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I love Laura. It is my aunt's name, and I think it is definitely a classic. She was named for Gene Tierney's title character.
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I like Laura a lot. To me, it's timeless (along with Julia, Maria, Sarah, Rebecca, C/Katherine and Elizabeth). I've considered using it. While I like long, flowing names, I seem to settle for something with two syllables and Laura would feel right to me.
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I see it as a classic like Mary, Sarah, Julia, etc. It doesn't seem too dated to me.
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I love Laurel, really, really like Laura and dislike Lauren. and even though it isn't really the same thing, Lorna is my favorite of all.

This message was edited 1/4/2012, 7:44 PM

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I've always thought Lorna sounds like a noise a donkey would make. :D But it's charming in its own way, I guess.
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Haha, I always think of Lorna Doone cookies!
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LOL, really?? that's pretty funny!
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I like Laura, I'd use it. :)
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I love Laura! It's so classic and pretty! It definitely tops the other names you noted. And plus all the Lauras I know love their name.
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Obviously no bias here...But it's an awesome, amazing, classic, beautiful, perfect, and lovely name. Oh, that's right, my name is Laura... haha. I really do like it, though. It's really classic and sweet, and it hasn't posed a lot of problems for me. My one gripe about having this name is that it is WAY too popular. I know SO many Lauras. Including myself, I can name at LEAST ten that I know. That, to me, is too many. Actually, I have another gripe: it gets mixed up with that darned Lauren all the time. >:[ I don't think it's dated at all, but it *is* ridiculously well used. I like it better than any other variant, with Laurel coming in at a very close second.
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I love the name Laura so much! Laura is a classic, imo. I know elderly women, middle-aged women, teenagers, and babies called Laura. Lauren is the dated one, imo. I would love to use Laura. I may use it as a middle name though because it is my best friend's younger sister's name, and I'm very close with her. Anyway, I think Laura is an absolutely beautiful name. It is simple yet elegant. I also like that it travels well.

This message was edited 1/4/2012, 6:24 PM

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I'm 20 and I know several girls within my age group named Laura. I see variants of Lauren more on people younger than me, however. I think Laura would be just fine for a child and I don't think it's dated. I would take a lot of names that people deem "dated" over half the names I've encountered working in childcare!

This message was edited 1/4/2012, 5:45 PM

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Yeah, I'm 26 and I think the year I was born was the height of the Lauren boom. I know a couple of Lauras and it just seems to have so much more oomph than Lauren. I also like Laurel a lot.Thanks for you reply!
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