Thirty years of Lara
Lara in numbers
Lara has risen from 255 girls in 1996 to 465 in 2025, though it is below its peak of 568 in 2003. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2000 and 2003, from 340 to 568. It ranked 174th in 1996, reached 85th in 2022 and ranks 98th now. On average it was given to 319 girls a year in the late 1990s, 469 in the 2000s, 485 in the 2010s and 511 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year-2%474 to 465
- 5 years-8%505 to 465
- 10 years+1%462 to 465
- 20 years-3%480 to 465
- Since 1996+82%255 to 465
- Total, 1996 to 202513,880girls
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 98 · ONS · 474 in 2024
Rank 106 · NRS · 34 in 2024
Rank 132 · NISRA · 18 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 98 | 465 | -2% | 1 in 612 |
| 2024 | 98 | 474 | -10% | 1 in 611 |
| 2023 | =92 | 525 | -6% | 1 in 549 |
| 2022 | 85 | 559 | +4% | 1 in 527 |
| 2021 | 98 | 539 | +7% | 1 in 565 |
| 2020 | 101 | 505 | -6% | 1 in 593 |
| 2019 | 97 | 540 | +14% | 1 in 576 |
| 2018 | 110 | 474 | +6% | 1 in 674 |
| 2017 | =126 | 446 | -8% | 1 in 742 |
| 2016 | =118 | 484 | +5% | 1 in 701 |
| 2015 | 125 | 462 | -5% | 1 in 735 |
| 2014 | =115 | 484 | -4% | 1 in 699 |
| 2013 * | 108 | 503 | +0% | 1 in 679 |
| 2012 | 115 | 501 | +1% | 1 in 709 |
| 2011 | 119 | 494 | +7% | 1 in 714 |
| 2010 | 124 | 462 | +2% | 1 in 762 |
| 2009 | 120 | 455 | -10% | 1 in 756 |
| 2008 | =110 | 504 | +7% | 1 in 686 |
| 2007 | 115 | 472 | -11% | 1 in 711 |
| 2006 | =98 | 528 | +10% | 1 in 620 |
| 2005 | 105 | 480 | -8% | 1 in 657 |
| 2004 | =98 | 522 | -8% | 1 in 596 |
| 2003 | 91 | 568 | +18% | 1 in 534 |
| 2002 | 97 | 482 | +44% | 1 in 602 |
| 2001 | 134 | 335 | -1% | 1 in 866 |
| 2000 | =137 | 340 | -2% | 1 in 867 |
| 1999 | 136 | 347 | -3% | 1 in 872 |
| 1998 | =131 | 356 | +12% | n/a |
| 1997 | 146 | 319 | +25% | 1 in 983 |
| 1996 | 174 | 255 | 1 in 1,239 |
* ONS’s girls’ 2013 file repeats the May total as April, so the 2013 births total is about 1,360 too high and 1 in X for 2013 is slightly too high. 1 in X is not shown for girls in 1998: one monthly total is missing from the ONS girls’ 1998 file. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Lara
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Lara is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate
Lara is in our lists: Short baby names.