Lara
/L-AA-R-AA/
Cheerful, citadel — Doctor Zhivago's Lara crossed Russia; the name crossed the world
See Lara scored for your familyQuick — what every parent wants to know about Lara:
Yes — Lara is a Christian girl name of Russian origin, meaning “Cheerful, citadel — Doctor Zhivago's Lara crossed Russia; the name crossed the world”.
How well does Lara fit your family?
This page tells you what Lara means. The app tells you whether it's right for your baby — scored against the names already in your family, your heritage, and your baby's exact birth star.
Unlock Lara's score — free
Six signals — scored for your family, not in the abstract:
Meaning & origin
Lara is a girl's name of Russian origin, traditionally used in Christian families. The name means "Cheerful, citadel — Doctor Zhivago's Lara crossed Russia; the name crossed the world" and belongs to the Joy cluster — names that celebrate happiness and lightness of spirit.
Common among Spanish, European, Latino, Russian families, Lara carries cultural weight that goes beyond its dictionary definition — it's a name with a story and a community.
What would a baby named Lara look like?
NameRoot imagines a one-of-a-kind AI baby portrait for every name, shaped by its heritage — the features, the colouring, the feeling a name like Lara carries. No two are alike.
See Lara's portrait — and its full score — the moment you open the app.
See Lara's baby portrait →What does Lara's numerology say?
Numerology assigns each name a single-digit destiny number by summing its letter values. Different schools use different mappings — NameRoot computes both so you can see how Lara resonates in either tradition.
Lara's destiny number is 5 — but a number only matters in context. The app matches it to your family's own numbers for a real compatibility read. See Lara's full reading →
Does Lara go with your family's names?
Lara breaks into 4 sounds: /L-AA-R-AA/. The real test isn't how it sounds alone — it's how it sounds beside the names already in your family: yours, your partner's, and any brothers or sisters. NameRoot scores that harmony, so Lara sits naturally next to a Mum and Dad like Michael & Anna, or a big sister named Gianna — no awkward clashes, no two names that blur together. Hear Lara beside your family's names →
Names similar to Lara
If Lara resonates with you, these names live in the same world — drawn from the same tradition, sharing the same meaning, or echoing a similar sound.
From the same tradition
Other Christian girl names, common in Spanish families
Sharing the same meaning
Other Christian girl names from the Joy cluster
Names that sound similar
Christian girl names that open with the same syllables as Lara
Explore more names
Keep exploring names like Lara — by tradition, by meaning, or by first letter.
Common questions about Lara
What does the name Lara mean?
Lara means "Cheerful, citadel — Doctor Zhivago's Lara crossed Russia; the name crossed the world." It is a girl name of Russian origin, traditionally used in Christian families.
Is Lara a boy or girl name?
Lara is most commonly used as a girl name.
What is the origin of the name Lara?
Lara is of Russian origin, used in Christian tradition, commonly among Spanish, European, Latino families.
Is Lara a Christian name?
Yes. Lara is a girl name traditionally used in Christian families, of Russian origin.
What does Lara mean in Russian?
Lara originates from Russian, where it means "Cheerful, citadel — Doctor Zhivago's Lara crossed Russia; the name crossed the world."
What is the numerology of Lara?
Lara has a Pythagorean destiny number of 5 — freedom and adventurous change.
See how Lara scores for your family
NameRoot is the only baby-name app that scores every name across 6 signals against your specific family context. Download free — Lara is waiting.
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