Pronunciation | English: /ˈlɑːrə/ LAH-rə Russian: [ˈɫarə] |
---|---|
Gender | Female |
Language(s) | Russian |
Origin | |
Meaning | Russian short form of Larissa |
Other names | |
Related names | Larisa, Larissa |
Lara is a feminine given name or a surname in several languages. It can be used as a short form of the name Larissa. It was popularized in the Anglosphere by a character in the 1965 film Dr. Zhivago . [1]
Lara is also a water nymph in Roman Mythology who is the mother of the Lares. The name is of uncertain etymology. [2]
The name has been among the top 1,000 names used for newborn girls in the United States since 1966, the year after the film Dr. Zhivago debuted. The name has also seen wide use in Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and across Europe. [3]
The Spanish surname Lara is derived from Lara de los Infantes, in the Burgos province of Spain, and in some cases retains the original form, de Lara ('of Lara'); [4] there are also Lara surnames in France and Romania.
Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word adur, meaning "sea" or "water".
Alexandra is a female given name of Greek origin. It is the first attested form of its variants, including Alexander. Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb ἀλέξειν and ἀνήρ. Thus it may be roughly translated as "defender of man" or "protector of man". The name Alexandra was one of the epithets given to the Greek goddess Hera and as such is usually taken to mean "one who comes to save warriors". The earliest attested form of the name is the Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀩𐀏𐀭𐀅𐀨, written in the Linear B syllabic script. Alexandra and its masculine equivalent, Alexander, are both common names in Greece as well as countries where Germanic, Romance, and Slavic languages are spoken.
Nadia is a female name. Variations include Nadja, Nadya, Nadine, Nadiya, and Nadiia. Most variations of the name are derived from Arabic, Slavic languages, or both.
Isabel is a female name of Spanish origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of Elisabeth. Arising in the 12th century, it became popular in England in the 13th century following the marriage of Isabella of Angoulême to the king of England. Today it is sometimes abbreviated to Isa.
Samantha is a feminine given name.
Danielle is a modern French female variant of the male name Daniel, meaning "God is my judge" in the Hebrew language.
Simone is a given name that may be used as a masculine or feminine name, depending on the language.
Renée is a French feminine given name and surname.
Marisa is a feminine given name. Like the given name Marissa, the name is derived from the Latin maris, meaning "of the sea". The name is also a Spanish, Portuguese or Italian contracted familiar nickname for Maria Isabel or Maria Luisa.
Natalie or Nathaly is a feminine given name of English and French origin, derived from the Latin phrase natale domini, meaning "birth of the Lord". Further alternative spellings of the name include Nathalie, Natalee, and Natalia/Natalija.
Diana is a feminine given name of Latin and Greek origins, referring to the Roman goddess Diana. It came into use in the Anglosphere in the 1600s by classically educated parents as an English language version of the French version of the name, Diane.
Adriana, also spelled Adrianna, is a Latin name and feminine form of Adrian. It originates from present day Italy and Spain.
Anna is a feminine given name, the Latin form of the Greek: Ἄννα and the Hebrew name Hannah, meaning "favour" or "grace".
Stephanie is a female name that comes from the Greek name Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning "crown, wreath, garland". The male form is Stephen. Forms of Stephanie in other languages include the German "Stefanie", the Italian, Czech, Polish, and Russian "Stefania", the Portuguese Estefânia, and the Spanish Estefanía. The form Stéphanie is from the French language, but Stephanie is now widely used both in English- and Spanish-speaking cultures.
Fabian is the English form of the late Roman name Fabianus. This was a name originally given to those adopted into or descended through the female line from a Roman family named Fabius, that derived from the Latin faba for the broad bean, an important food crop in antiquity. It entered the English language with the Normans, but has never achieved the popularity of Fabien in France, Fabio or Fabiano in Italy and Portugal, and Fabián in Spain.
Laura is a traditionally feminine given name in Europe and the Americas, of Latin origin, whose meaning is a metonym for a victor, and an early hypocorism from Laurel and Lauren.
Claudia is a female given name equivalent to Claudius or Claudio. In Portuguese, it is accented Cláudia. A variant and cognate form is Klaudia. It was originally used to refer to any woman who belonged to the ancient Roman Claudia gens. Claudia is a common name in countries that speak Germanic languages and Romance languages.
Veronica is a female given name, a Latin alteration of the Greek name Berenice (Βερενίκη), which in turn is derived from the Macedonian form of the Athenian Φερενίκη, Phereníkē, or Φερονίκη, Pheroníkē, from φέρειν, phérein, to bring, and νίκη, níkê, "victory", i.e. "she who brings victory".
Rita is a female name, often a name in its own right, but mostly a shortened version of Margarita. The feast day of Rita is generally celebrated on May 22 in honor of Saint Rita of Cascia.