Lara is a feminine given name or a

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

in several languages. It can be used as a short form of the name

Larissa Larissa (; , , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 148,562 in the city proper, according to the 2021 census. It is also the capital of the Larissa ...

. It was popularized in the

Anglosphere The Anglosphere, also known as the Anglo-American world, is a Western-led sphere of influence among the Anglophone countries. The core group of this sphere of influence comprises five developed countries that maintain close social, cultura ...

by a character in the 1965 film '' Dr. Zhivago''. Lara is also a water nymph in

Roman Mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans, and is a form of Roman folklore. "Roman mythology" may also refer to the modern study of these representations, and to th ...

who is the mother of the

Lares Lares ( , ; archaic , singular ) were Tutelary deity#Ancient Rome, guardian deities in ancient Roman religion. Their origin is uncertain; they may have been hero-ancestors, guardians of the hearth, fields, boundaries, or fruitfulness, or an ama ...

. The name is of uncertain etymology. 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.

Given name

* Lara Abdallat (born 1982), Jordanian hacker * Lara Aharonian (born 1972), Armenian Canadian human rights activist * Lara Aknin, Canadian social psychologist * Lara Alcock, British mathematics educator * Lara Amersey (born 1984), Canadian actress * Lara Arruabarrena (born 1992), Spanish tennis player * Lara-B (born 1979), Slovenian singer *

Lara Baars Lara Baars (born 23 December 1996) is a Dutch Paralympic athlete competing in shot put and discus throw events. She was born with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism. She won the gold medal in the women's shot put F40 event at the 2024 Summer P ...

(born 1996), Dutch athlete *

Lara Baladi Lara Baladi (born 1969 in Beirut, Lebanon) is an acclaimed Egyptian- Lebanese photographer, archivist and multimedia artist. She was educated in Paris and London and currently lives in Cairo. Baladi exhibits and publishes worldwide. Her body of ...

(born 1969), Egyptian-Lebanese photographer * Lara Barbieri (born 1986), Italian football player * Lara Belmont (born 1980), English actress *

Lara Berman Lara Berman Krinsky (; born May 5, 1980) is an American and Israelis, Israeli on-air news correspondent, journalist, actress, entrepreneur and a Pro-Israel activist. She has worked with numerous well-known news outlets such as the Discovery Netw ...

(born 1980), Israeli correspondent * Lara Bianconi (born 1974), Italian swimmer * Lara Bitter (born 1975), Dutch tennis player * Lara Bloom (born 1980), patient expert and advocate *

Lara Flynn Boyle Lara Flynn Boyle (born March 24, 1970) is an American actress. She is known for playing Donna Hayward in the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991). After appearing in Penelope Spheeris's comedy ''Wayne's World (film), Wayne's World'' (1 ...

(born 1970), American actress * Lara Breay, British film producer * Lara Briden (born 1969), author * Lara Brown, American political scientist * Lara Butler (born 1994), Caymanian swimmer * Lara Cardella (born 1969), Italian writer * Lara Carroll (born 1986), English swimmer * Lara Casanova (born 1996), Swiss snowboarder * Lara Cazalet (born 1973), English actress * Lara Habib Chamat (born 1980), Lebanese news presenter * Lara Jean Chorostecki (born 1984), Canadian actress * Lara Christen (born 2002), Swiss ice hockey player * Lara Petusky Coger (born 1970), American journalist * Lara Comi (born 1983), Italian politician * Lara Cox (born 1978), Australian actress * Lara Davenport (born 1983), Australian Olympic athlete * Lara Hedberg Deam (born 1967), American publisher * Lara Cosima Henckel von Donnersmarck (born 2003), German social media influencer * Lara Debbana (born 1994), Egyptian model * Lara Defour (born 1997), Belgian professional racing cyclist * Lara Denis (born 1969), American philosopher * Lara Dickenmann (born 1985), Swiss footballer * Lara Elena Donnelly (born 1990), American author * Lara Dunkley (born 1995), Australian netball player *

Lara Dutta Lara Dutta Bhupathi ( Dutta; born 16 April 1978) is an Indian actress. She won the Miss Universe 2000, and has since predominantly worked in Hindi films and series. Dutta is a recipient of a Filmfare Awards, Filmfare Award and established hers ...

(born 1978), Indian actress * Lara Escauriza (born 1998), Paraguayan tennis player *

Lara Escudero Lara Escudero (born 6 June 1993) is a French ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to th ...

(born 1993), French ice hockey player *

Lara Fabian Lara Sophie Katy Crokaert (; born 9 January 1970), known professionally as Lara Fabian (, , ), is a Belgian, Italian and Canadian singer and songwriter. She claims to have sold over 20 million records worldwide and to be one of the List of best ...

(born 1970), Belgian-Canadian singer * Lara Falk (born 1997), Australian skier * Lara Favaretto (born 1973), Italian artist * Lara Fernandez (born 1996), Spanish kickboxer * Lara Filocamo (born 1990), Australian rules footballer * Lara George, Nigerian artist * Lara Giddings (born 1972), Australian politician * Lara Gilchrist (born 1982), Canadian actress * Lara Gillespie (born 2001), Irish professional racing cyclist * Lara Goodall (born 1996), South African cricketer * Lara Goodison (born 1989), English actress * Lara González (rhythmic gymnast) (born 1986), Spanish rhythmic gymnast * Lara Grangeon (born 1991), French swimmer * Lara Grice (born 1971), American actress * Lara Gut-Behrami (born 1991), Swiss alpine ski racer * Lara Naki Gutmann (born 2002), Italian figure skater * Lara Harris (born 1962), American model * Lara Heinz (born 1981), Luxembourgian swimmer * Lara Hoffmann (born 1991), German Olympic athlete * Lara Hooiveld (born 1971), Australian swimmer * Lara Ivanuša (born 1997), Slovenian footballer * Lara Jackson (born 1986), American freestyle swimmer * Lara Jakes (born 1973), American journalist * Lara St. John (born 1971), Canadian violinist * Lara Jones (1975–2010), British artist * Lara Käpplein (born 1995), German badminton player * Lara Keller (born 1991), Swiss football striker * Lara Kipp (born 2002), Austrian luger * Lara Knutson (born 1974), American artist * Lara Kramer, Canadian dancer * Lara Landon (born 1985), American musician * Lara Lewington (born 1979), British television presenter * Lara Logan (born 1971), American television journalist for CBS News * Lara Magoni (born 1969), Italian alpine skier and politician * Lara Mahal, American professor * Lara Maigue (born 1991), Filipino singer * Lara Maiklem (born 1971), British author * Lara Malsiner (born 2000), Italian ski jumper * Lara Mandić (born 1974), Serbian basketball player * Lara Maritz (born 2001), Irish cricketer * Lara Marlowe (born 1957), American journalist * Lara Jean Marshall (born 1988), Australian-English actress * Lara Martin, English musician * Lara Mazur, Canadian film editor * Lara McAllen (born 1983), British vocalist * Lara McDonnell (born 2003), Irish actress * Lara McSpadden (born 1999), Australian basketball player * Lara Della Mea (born 1999), Italian alpine ski racer * Lara Melda (born 1993), Turkish pianist * Lara Merrett (born 1971), Australian visual artist * Lara Meyerratken, Australian instrumentalist * Lara Michel (born 1991), Swiss tennis player *

Lara Jill Miller Lara Jill Miller (born April 20, 1967) is an American actress and lawyer. She has played Samantha "Sam" Kanisky in the 1980s sitcom '' Gimme a Break!'' and Kathy on '' The Amanda Show''. She voices the title characters in '' Clifford's Puppy Da ...

(born 1967), American actress * Lara Molins (born 1980), Irish cricketer * Lara Morgan (born 1967), British entrepreneur * Lara Mori (born 1998), Italian artistic gymnast * Lara Mullen (born 1994), British fashion model * Lara Nalbantoğlu (born 2001), Turkish sport sailor * Lara Nielsen (born 1992), Australian athlete * Lara González Ortega (born 1992), Spanish handball player * Lara Oviedo (born 1988), Argentine-Italian field hockey player * Lara Pampín (born 1995), Spanish field hockey player * Lara Parker (1938–2023), American television actress * Lara Saint Paul (1945–2018), Eritrean-Italian singer * Lara Pavlović (born 1998), Croatian handball player * Lara Peake (born 1998), English actress * Lara Petera (born 1978), New Zealand professional squash player * Lara Peyrot (born 1975), Italian cross-country skier * Lara Pitt (born 1981), Australian television presenter * Lara Porzak (born 1967), American fine art photographer * Lara Prašnikar (born 1998), Slovenian striker * Lara Preacco (born 1971), Swiss swimmer * Lara Prescott, American author * Lara Prior-Palmer (born 1994), British writer and athlete *

Lara Pulver Lara Pulver (born 1 September 1980) is an English actress, best known for playing Erin Watts in the BBC spy drama '' Spooks'' and Irene Adler on BBC's TV adaptation '' Sherlock''. She won the 2016 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actr ...

(born 1980), English actress * Lara Rabal (born 1983), Spanish football player * Lara Rae (born 1963), Canadian comedian * Lara Raj (born 2005), American singer-songwriter and producer * Lara Jo Regan (born 1962), American photographer * Lara-Isabelle Rentinck (born 1986), German film actress * Lara Ricote (born 1996), Mexican comedian * Lara Robinson (born 1998), Australian actress * Lara Rodrigues (born 1990), Brazilian actress * Lara Rose, British singer * Lara Rossi, British actress * Lara Roxx (born 1982), Canadian pornographic film actress * Lara van Ruijven (1992–2020), Dutch short track speed skater * Lara Juliette Sanders, German director * Lara Sanders (born 1986), American-Turkish basketball player * Lara Mussell Savage, English athlete * Lara Scandar (born 1990), Egyptian singer-songwriter * Lara Schmidt (born 1999), German tennis player * Lara Schnitger (born 1969), American-Dutch painter * Lara Setrakian (born 1982), American journalist * Lara Spencer (born 1969), American television presenter * Lara Stalder (born 1994), Swiss ice hockey player * Lara Stein (born 1966), American executive * Lara Stephen (born 1992), Welsh beauty pageant titleholder * Lara Stock (born 1992), Croatian chess player * Lara Stone (born 1983), Dutch fashion model * Lara Sullivan (born 1969), Australian judoka * Lara Taylor-Pearce, Sierra Leonean auditor general * Lara Teeter (born 1955), American dancer * Lara Teixeira (born 1987), Brazilian Olympic athlete * Lara Trump (born 1982), American television producer *

Lara Vadlau Lara Vadlau (born 29 March 1994) is an Austrian competitive sailor. Early life and career She was born in Feldbach, Austria, on 29 March 1994. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she competed in the women's 470 class where, alongside crewmate Ev ...

(born 1994), Austrian sailor * Lara Vapnyar (born 1971), American author * Lara Veronin (born 1988), Taiwanese singer * Lara Vieceli (born 1993), Italian racing cyclist * Lara Villata (born 1967), Italian equestrian * Lara Vukasović (born 1994), Croatian volleyball player * Lara Wendel (born 1965), German actress * Lara de Wit (born 1983), Australian pianist * Lara Wolf (born 2000), Austrian freestyle skier * Lara Wollington (born 2003), British actress * Lara Wolters (born 1986), Dutch politician * Lara Worthington (born 1987), Australian model * Lara Yan (born 1991), Georgian model * Lara Zara (born 1982), Assyrian politician

Surname

Cultural origins

The Spanish surname ''Lara'' is derived from Lara de los Infantes, in the

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...

province of Spain, and in some cases retains the original form, ''de Lara'' ('of Lara'); there are also Lara surnames in France and Romania.

People with the surname

* Adelina de Lara (1872–1961), British pianist and composer * Adriana Lara, Mexican computer scientist *

Agustín Lara Ángel Agustín María Carlos Fausto Mariano Alfonso del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Lara y Aguirre del Pino (; ; October 30, 1897 – November 6, 1970), known as Agustín Lara, was a Mexican composer and performer of songs and boleros. He is rec ...

(1900–1970), Mexican composer * Alda Lara, poet * Alexandra Maria Lara, Romanian actress * Alonso Manrique de Lara, Roman Catholic bishop * Antonio Lara de Gavilán, Spanish artist *

Antonio Lara Zárate Antonio Lara Zárate (18 December 1881 – 24 February 1956) was a Spanish lawyer and politician. He was a member of the Congress of Deputies throughout the Second Spanish Republic (1931–1939). He served as Minister of Finance (1933–34), Minis ...

(1881–1956), Spanish lawyer and politician * Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara, politician * Blanca de La Cerda y Lara, Spanish noblewoman *

Brian Lara Brian Charles Lara, (born 2 May 1969) is a Trinidadian former international cricketer, widely renowned as one of the greatest Batting (cricket), batsmen of all time. He holds several cricketing records, including the record for the highest in ...

(born 1969), Trinidadian cricketer * Brigido Lara, Mexican artist * Carlos Lara Bareiro, Paraguayan composer * Catherine Lara, French violinist, composer and singer * Cayo Lara (born 1952), Spanish politician * Christian Lara, Ecuadorian footballer * Christian Lara, Guadeloupean film director *

Claude Autant-Lara Claude Autant-Lara (; 5 August 1901 – 5 February 2000) was a French film director, screenwriter, set designer and costume designer who worked in films for over 50 years. He made films characterised by bourgeois Realism (arts), realism, anti- ...

, French film director * Daniel Lara, subject of the 2016 Damn Daniel internet meme * Daniel García Lara, football striker * David Laurent de Lara (c.1806–1876), illuminator * Dona Ivone Lara (1922 – 2018), Brazilian singer and composer * Eduardo Lara, Colombian football manager * Emilio Lara (weightlifter), Cuban weightlifter * Erislandy Lara, Cuban boxer * Eurico Lara (1897–1935), Brazilian footballer * Francisco José Lara, Spanish professional road bicycle racer * Georgia Lara, Greek water polo player * Guillermo Lara, politician * Isidore de Lara, English composer *

Jacinto Lara Jacinto Lara (28 May 1777, Carora – 25 February 1859, Barquisimeto) was a Venezuelan independence leader and hero of the Venezuelan War of Independence. His contribution included participating in Simón Bolívar's 1813 Admirable Campaign. ...

(1777–1859), Venezuelan independence leader * Jami Porter Lara, American artist * Jerónimo Manrique de Lara, General Inquisitor * Joe Lara, American actor and musician * José Manuel Lara, Spanish golfer * Juan Lara, baseball player * Juan Jesús Vivas Lara, Spanish politician * Joaquin Gallegos Lara, Ecuadorian writer and poet * Kiki Lara, Mexican soccer player * Louis, comte de Narbonne-Lara, French soldier and diplomat * Lucas Martínez Lara, Roman Catholic bishop *

Lúcio Lara Lúcio Rodrigo Leite Barreto de Lara (9 April 1929 – 27 February 2016), also known by the pseudonym Tchiweka, was an Angolan revolutionary, physicist-mathematician, politician, anti-colonial ideologist and one of the founding members (and pres ...

, former General Secretary of the MPLA * Luisa María Lara (born 1966), Spanish astrophysicist * María Teresa Lara, a Mexican composer * Maritza Lara-López, Mexican astronomer * Martha Lara (fl. late 20th century), Mexican diplomat & politician * Martín Acosta y Lara, Uruguayan basketball player * Modesto Lara (born 1973), Dominican Republic judoka * Nil Lara, American musician *

Oruno Lara Oruno Lara (1879 – 1924) was a Guadeloupean poet, author and historian, not to be confused with his grandson Dr. Oruno D. Lara, also a historian. Head of Pointe-à-Pitre's ''Guadeloupe Littéraire'' journal, he arrived in France in 1914 with ho ...

, Guadeloupean poet, author and historian * Osvaldo Lara (born 1955), Cuban track and field sprinter * Pablo Lara, Cuban weightlifter * Rafael Paulo de Lara Araújo, Brazilian basketball player * Raúl Lara, soccer player * Ricardo Lara, California politician *

Rocío Lara Rocío is a feminine given name of Spanish origin, derived from the Virgin of El Rocío and ultimately from the Latin ''Roscidus'', literally meaning ''dew''. Notable people with the name include: * Rocío Banquells (born 1958), Mexican pop singer ...

, Muppeteer * Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, Colombian politician * Rosalio José Castillo Lara, Roman Catholic cardinal * Saúl Lara, Bolivian politician * Silvia Lara Povedano, Costa Rican politician and sociologist * Tino de Lara, Filipino actor *

Tito Lara Tito Lara (December 23, 1932 – June 23, 1987) was a Puerto Rican musician. He was considered by many to be Puerto Rico's first television singing teen idol, idol. Early years Lara (birth name: Agustín Enrique Lara Olivencia) was born in Río ...

, Puerto Rican singer * Willian Lara (1957–2010), Venezuelan politician * Víctor Neumann-Lara, Mexican mathematician *

Marlon Guillermo Lara Orellana Marlon Guillermo Lara Orellana (born April 30, 1966, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras) is a Liberal Party (Honduras), Liberal Party politician from Honduras. He was Mayor of the City of Puerto Cortes and former Minister of the Government under the pre ...

, politician * Margrét Lára Viðarsdóttir, Icelandic footballer

Fictional characters with the name

Lara (comics) Lara (née Lara Lor-Van) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, Lara first appeared in the ''Superman'' newspaper comic strip in 1939. Lara is th ...

, the biological mother of the comic book character

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

* Larissa "Lara" Antipova, heroine of

Boris Pasternak Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (30 May 1960) was a Russian and Soviet poet, novelist, composer, and literary translator. Composed in 1917, Pasternak's first book of poems, ''My Sister, Life'', was published in Berlin in 1922 and soon became an imp ...

's novel '' Doctor Zhivago'' (1957, played by

Julie Christie Julie Frances Christie (born 14 April 1940) is a British actress. Christie's accolades include an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has appeared in six films ranked in the British Film Institu ...

in the 1965 film) * Lara Božić, titular character of the Croatian television series '' Larin izbor'' (''Lara's Choice'') * Lara Croft, main character from the ''

Tomb Raider ''Tomb Raider'', known as ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an Action-adventure game, action-adventure video game series created by British video game developer Core Design. The franchise i ...

'' series * Lara-Su, Knuckle's future daughter from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' comic series. She appears in the "Mobius 25 Years Later" storyline and in its sequel arc: "30 Years Later". Lara-Su is also the main protagonist in the upcoming Lara-Su Chronicles graphic novel series. * Lara the Black Cat Fairy, a character in '' Rainbow Magic'' * Lara Tybur, a character in "

Attack on Titan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It is set in a world where humanity is forced to live in cities surrounded by three enormous walls that protect them from gigantic man-eating humanoids referred to a ...

" * Lara Greyrat, character of ranobe "

Mushoku_Tensei is a Japanese light novel series written by and later illustrated by Shirotaka. The series is about a jobless, overweight, reclusive man who dies and is reincarnated in a fantasy world. Retaining the memories from his previ ...

Mythological characters with the name

* Lara (mythology), in Greek mythology, Lara is a

Naiad In Greek mythology, the naiads (; ), sometimes also hydriads, are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water. They are distinct from river gods, who embodied ...

nymph and daughter of the river Almo in

Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...

's poem ''

Fasti In ancient Rome, the ''fasti'' (Latin plural) were chronological or calendar-based lists, or other diachronic records or plans of official and religiously sanctioned events. After Rome's decline, the word ''fasti'' continued to be used for simi ...

'' * Lara, in ancient Egyptian mythology, means sun ray, coming from Ra, the god of sun.

References

{{given name, type=both English feminine given names Arabic-language feminine given names Feminine given names Spanish feminine given names Italian feminine given names Turkish feminine given names Croatian feminine given names Slovene feminine given names German feminine given names Filipino feminine given names