Last weekend I did a little research into the name that we chose for our first child – Lara. Name origins weren't something we looked at when we were thinking of baby names, we just came up with a list of names that sounded good to us. Lara was a name we both liked and when she arrived, she was most definitely a Lara!
Despite her astonishing strength, mobility and her can-do attitude, Lara wasn't named after Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Nor was she named after a brand of fruit bars (although her nickname is Lara Banana). Lara is just Lara.
The Latin meaning of the name Lara is “protector”. The origin is the term Lares. Lares were the Roman gods who were thought to protect individual households by looking after homes and fields. There are also Spanish-Latin roots to the name which mean “the famous one”.
The more commonly accepted Russian origin of the name Lara is as a shortening of the name of the ancient Greek city of Larissa.
The Greek meaning of the name Lara is “cheerful” which is certainly fitting for my little munckin; I think that is the word that currently describes her best (apart from in the middle of the night when her teeth hurt).
I thought about turning this post into a meme but then I realised that lots of bloggers don't like to reveal the names of their munchkins so if you do fancy joining in (perhaps for your children's names, perhaps for your own) then add a link to your post below.
