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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.

Pretty classic to me.

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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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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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

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.

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..

I like Laura but I prefer the spelling Lora better and the nickname Lori!

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.

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.

I see it as a classic like Mary, Sarah, Julia, etc. It doesn't seem too dated to me.

I love Laurel, really, really like Laura and dislike Lauren.

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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

I like Laura, I'd use it. :)

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.

Obviously no bias here...

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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.

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.

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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

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