Laura vs Shauna
Laura and Shaunacompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Laura was ranked #112 and Shauna #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2019, Laura was ranked #157 and Shauna #424 among girls in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Laura was ranked #258 and Shauna #4192 among girls in England and Wales.
Laura and Shauna over time
Laura and Shauna appear together in 3 published lists, across 111 years of shared records. Laura held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Shauna in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Laura reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Shauna in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Longest-running competitions
Laura and Shauna were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 60 years, from 1966 to 2025, ending at #112 and #885.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Laura #13 in 1997, Shauna #46 in 1997.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls60 shared years, 1966–2025
Laura held the stronger position in 60 of those years, Shauna in 0.
Highest recorded here: Laura #2 in 1985, Shauna #6 in 1993.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Laura #112, Shauna #885.
England and Wales · Girls28 shared years, 1996–2024
Laura held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Shauna in 0.
Highest recorded here: Laura #17 in 1996, Shauna #115 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Laura #258, Shauna #4192.
Northern Ireland · Girls23 shared years, 1997–2019
Laura held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Shauna in 0.
Highest recorded here: Laura #13 in 1997, Shauna #46 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Laura #157, Shauna #424.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Laura | Shauna |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | From Latin 'laurus' meaning 'laurel' — laurel wreaths honoured victors in ancient Rome. Also the subject of 14th-century Italian poet Petrarch's poems. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Latin | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈlɔɹ.ə/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #112 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #885 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Laura has a recorded origin (Latin); Shauna does not have one recorded yet.
- Laura and Shauna both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Laura; Shauna doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Laura
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #313 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1985 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #141 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Shauna
Popularity journey
First recorded1966
First recorded at #380 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1966 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1966–2025
Highest recorded position: #6 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1993 (recorded 1966–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls