Head to head · Girls' names
Demi vs Laura
#380 vs #379 in 2025 · both holding its place on the charts
Laura is a whisker ahead (#379 vs #380 in 2025) and both are holding its place on the charts. The records will not split these two — sound, story and your own last name will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Laura leads 5 measures of 6; Demi leads 0.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Demi —, Laura #21 — Laura higher
- 1890s: Demi —, Laura #34 — Laura higher
- 1900s: Demi —, Laura #48 — Laura higher
- 1910s: Demi —, Laura #61 — Laura higher
- 1920s: Demi —, Laura #76 — Laura higher
- 1930s: Demi —, Laura #98 — Laura higher
- 1940s: Demi —, Laura #94 — Laura higher
- 1950s: Demi —, Laura #44 — Laura higher
- 1960s: Demi #7119, Laura #17 — Laura higher
- 1970s: Demi #6558, Laura #19 — Laura higher
- 1980s: Demi #5945, Laura #21 — Laura higher
- 1990s: Demi #762, Laura #53 — Laura higher
- 2000s: Demi #1285, Laura #148 — Laura higher
- 2010s: Demi #626, Laura #313 — Laura higher
- 2020s: Demi #389, Laura #368 — Laura higher
Laura stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Demi | Laura |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #21 |
| 1890s | — | #34 |
| 1900s | — | #48 |
| 1910s | — | #61 |
| 1920s | — | #76 |
| 1930s | — | #98 |
| 1940s | — | #94 |
| 1950s | — | #44 |
| 1960s | #7119 | #17 |
| 1970s | #6558 | #19 |
| 1980s | #5945 | #21 |
| 1990s | #762 | #53 |
| 2000s | #1285 | #148 |
| 2010s | #626 | #313 |
| 2020s | #389 | #368 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Demi
Short form of Demetria — 'of Demeter', the Greek harvest goddess; also identical to the French word for 'half'
The main road is Greek: Demetria and Demetrius mean 'belonging to Demeter', goddess of grain and the earth's yield, and Demi is the clipped English form. The second is coincidence turned into association — French 'demi' means 'half', the same element in demitasse and demi-glace. Both readings are genuinely in circulation, and the name is often understood as one or the other depending on who is saying it.
Demeter → Demetrios → Demetria → Demi
How it traveled
Demeter's name stands at the head of this line, and from it Greek made Demetrios and Demetria, names carried steadily through the Byzantine world and into the Orthodox countries, where Dimitri and Dimitra remain everyday names. Latin borrowed Demetria, and English-speaking families shortened it the way they shortened everything — to a single bright syllable plus a vowel.
Laura
laurel
From the Latin laurus, the evergreen tree whose leaves crowned victors and poets. The reading is settled and the name is the plain Latin word with nothing added.
laurus → Laura
How it traveled
That continuity is the unusual thing about it. Most names of its age have gone out of use for a century or two and come back changed, or have been reshaped by one language and borrowed back by another.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Demi
DEM-ee
Stress on the first syllable, first vowel as in 'them'. Because the French word 'demi' is said duh-MEE, some people reach for that pronunciation on first sight; a single correction usually settles it.
- Demi — Already the short form of Demetria, and now overwhelmingly used as a complete given name on its own.
- Dem — Casual clip heard among friends and siblings; not used on paper.
- Demi-Leigh — A compound extension rather than a shortening, found mainly in British and South African usage; also registered as a full name in its own right.
Laura
LOR-uh
Two syllables with the weight at the front. Italian and Spanish give the first vowel more length, LAH-oo-rah, and Polish and German say it closer to the Italian.
- Laurie — The everyday form; a standing name of its own for women and men both.
- Lolly — An older affectionate form, used inside families.
- Lala — A reduplicated childhood form; used widely and rarely written.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Demi if you want…
- a name holding steadyDemi is holding its place on the charts
- a newer arrivalDemi entered the US charts in 1964
- a name that feels very nowDemi is holding its place on the charts
Choose Laura if you want…
- a long American recordLaura was already in use when US records began in 1880
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 12% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 40% for Demi
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Demi
Strengths
- Four letters, two syllables, and no silent parts — it is spelled the way it sounds and rarely needs repeating.
- Works as a full legal name and as an everyday nickname at once, so no shortening is required.
- Sits at the end of a documented line running from Greek through Latin into English, with living relatives like Dimitra and Dmitri still in daily use abroad.
To consider
- In English, 'demi-' is a prefix meaning half or partial — demigod, demitasse. Most people never think of it, but the association is there for anyone who does.
- People often assume it must be short for something and ask for the longer version. Demetria is the honest answer, whether or not it is on the birth certificate.
- Its record in the US is recent, and living bearers skew young. A child named Demi is unlikely to meet an older one, which cuts both ways: no crowd, but no ready-made familiarity either.
Laura
Strengths
- It is spelled identically in at least six European languages.
- The meaning is settled, pleasant and easy to explain to a child.
- Five letters, two syllables, and no ambiguity in the spelling.
To consider
- It is very familiar, so a child may share it with others.
- The first vowel differs noticeably between English and the Romance languages.
- The spelling is recorded for a small number of boys, though it reads overwhelmingly as a girl's name.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Demi
40%chance Demi feels dated by 2040
Demi sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
Laura
12%chance Laura feels dated by 2040
Laura has held the top-100 across 12 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Demi and Laura in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
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One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Hometown favorites: names only one state loves
- Pop star names on birth certificates
- Names ending in -i
- The top-10 club: every name that made it
- all guides
Where Demi and Laura each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Demi or Laura — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Demi or Laura?
- Laura, in 2025: Laura ranked #379 with 805 babies; Demi ranked #380 with 804 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Demi or Laura?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Demi moved down 41 places; Laura moved down 23 places.
- Which is the older name, Demi or Laura?
- Demi entered the US charts in 1964; Laura was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Laura is the older name.
- How many people are named Demi and Laura?
- About 14,500 people named Demi are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 617,000 people named Laura are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Demis or Lauras in the classroom?
- Demi will almost certainly be the only one in school. Laura will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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