Girl · Latin; Russian · International
Lara
LaraSay it LAA-ruh
- Meaning today
- Protection, citadel, cheerful
- Original meaning
- "a talkative nymph in Ovid; also a Russian pet form of Larisa" Lewis & Short
- Say it
- LAA-ruh
- Other spellings
- Larah
Lara
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Lara meaning
Lara is an international girl's name.
Meaning today
Protection, citadel, cheerful
Original Latin; Russian meaning
"a talkative nymph in Ovid; also a Russian pet form of Larisa"
Source: Lewis & Short, A Latin Dictionary (1879) · entry Lara · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
Lara has two roots. In Latin, Lewis & Short record Lara, also called Larunda, as a nymph, the daughter of the river god Almo; in Ovid's Fasti, Jupiter cuts out her tongue for talking too much, and she becomes the silent goddess Muta. In Russian, Lara is the pet form of Larisa, from the name of ancient Greek towns. Name lists give it meanings such as "protection", "citadel" or "cheerful", which we could not confirm in the dictionaries. Well-known bearers include Lara in Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago and, in India, the actress and Miss Universe Lara Dutta. It is short and natural in Indian languages.
References: Lewis & Short, Lara (Logeion) · Wikipedia, Lara (name)
Famous namesakes
- Lara Antipova, heroine of Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago
- Lara Dutta, Indian actress and Miss Universe 2000
Popularity abroad
- #693 United States, girls 2025 (up 48 from 741 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #98 England and Wales, girls 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Lara · Larah