Baby Name of the Day: Laraline

The baby name Laraline might be an intriguing ancient rarity with a connection to a very 21st century trend. 

Thanks to Clio for inspiring our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME LARALINE MEAN?

The baby name Laraline might start out in the ancient world. Specifically, Rome.

Roman names followed a specific structure. First names – praenomen – were bestowed based on strict tradition rather than preference.

Cognomen were different, and could be created from nouns and adjectives as needed – though eventually they were inherited, too. Many related to animals, including birds. 

Aristocratic women were named after their fathers. If Cornelius had three daughters, they were Cornelia Prima, Cornelia Secunda, and so on. It’s pretty anonymous. It’s also difficult to know precisely how the system worked in every day life, especially as regards women.

There was a Roman family known as the Lartii. Their family name was Lartius, and it wasn’t Latin at all. It was Etruscan. Lars Tolumnius was King of Veii, an Etruscan city-state neighboring Rome circa 400 BC, and Lars Porsena ruled the Etruscan city-state of Clusium a century earlier.

It appears that Lars meant lord in Etruscan. Could Laraline come from Lars? Possibly.

In Roman religion, lares were household spirits. And Roman myth includes a chatty water nymph called Lara or Larunda. Her name comes from a Greek word: laleo, meaning “to talk.”

Homer’s Odyssey gives us the name Laertes, from a Greek word meaning “gatherer of the people.” He’s Odysseus’ father in the story. 

So the sound is there, even if the baby name Laraline proves elusive.

LARA, LURLINE, AND MORE

Other possible origins seem even more likely, including:

• It might simply be an elaboration of Lara, which was heard in Roman myth, if not necessarily daily use. Lara can also be short for Larisa, a Slavic name with a long history.
• Laureline, in various spellings, evolved from Laura in medieval English. Maybe. At least, it’s used in the French sci fi comics Valérian et Laureline as well as the 2017 movie based on the characters. The name remains familia in France.
• JRR Tolkien used the name Laurelin for one of the Two Trees of Valinor in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. (Yes, an actual tree.)
• Double names in German and Dutch sometimes resemeble Laraline. Lorelien, for example, is a combination of Lore from Eleonore and the familiar ending -lien.
• Lurline is a version of Lorelei, associated with German folklore. And the Gilmore Girls. 

Of course, Laraline could also be a modern invention.

BIRD NAMES TAKE FLIGHT

The word for gull in Latin is larum, and larus is a genus of gulls. 

Laraline sounds like it might mean “of or relating to a gull,” along the lines of canine, feline, and bovine.

But no. The proper term is larine.

Gulls are common birds, on the bigger side, usually grey or white, and while they’re quite lovely, they can be fierce. They’re not native to Italy; in fact they’re a problem in modern Rome. 

But of course, the ancient world was vast, and gulls inhabit coastlines in many places. 

What we do know is that birds have inspired parents across the ages – as a given name, middle name, and nickname, too. Surnames sometimes refer to all things avian. 

Examples include:

• Robert nickname Robin
• Elizabeth short form Birdie
• Mavis, from an Old French word for a song thrush
• Paloma, from a Spanish word meaning dove or pigeon
• Raven, a 20th century favorite, inspired by the type of bird, as well as its many symbolic and literary uses
• A literal bird name like Wren, as well as Dove or Lark

Meaning and legend surrounds bird names, from the swans of Irish folklore to eagles in Native American stories and beyond. 

Laraline would fit nicely with this long-standing trend. 

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME LARALINE?

The baby name Laraline has never been given to even five girls in a single year of birth. That means it has never appeared in the US baby names popularity data, even though it can be found in some US Census records. 

Combing through years of data, we do find:

• Six girls named Laurelin in 2024
• Laralyn, given to five girls in 1974

All of this puts Laraline among the most unique baby names ever featured here. 

RARE AND WEARABLE

All of this makes the baby name Laraline difficult to pin down, but still compelling. If you’re after something feminine but truly distinctive, this could be the perfect baby name for your family.

It’s also a gorgeous middle, and maybe a jumping off point to discover other uncommon girls’ names ending with -line and -ine.

What do you think of the baby name Laraline? 

First published on October 5, 2015, this post was revised and updated on April 24, 2026.