Middle Names
My middle name is Laura.
I was named after one of my dad’s sisters (Aunt Laura).
Twenty-one years later,
it ended up being the name
of my mother-in-law
(Laura Belle).
And eight years later,
we named our daughter DeAna Laura.
The name Laura is the feminized form of laurus, Latin for “bay laurel plant”, which in the Greco-Roman era was used as a symbol of victory, honor or fame. The name represents the embodiment of victory and strength.
In British North America, the name Laura reached 17th most popular in 1880 and 1882, but dropped to #43 in 1899. It was among the top 50 names for female newborns for much of the early 20th century in the United States, but dropped to No. 100–120 between 1930 and 1950; reached No. 10 in 1969, and has since steadily decreased in popularity.
In Europe, Laura remains popular.
In 2009 it ranked within the top 10
in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia,
Greenland, Luxembourg, Spain, and Switzerland.
(Isn’t that interesting, given the fact that
DeAna Laura now lives in Switzerland?)
Here is my mother-in-law, Laura Belle
with our daughter, DeAna Laura.
(That was almost 50 years ago!)
Two very precious ladies
of victory and strength!
What is your middle name?
And what significance does it have?
Cheers to you
from Janet Laura & DeAna Laura
