Laurie

Laurie is the English diminutive of Laura, a Late Latin female name derived from an ancient Roman masculine name “Laurus” meaning “laurel”. In the days of ancient Greece and Rome, leaves from the laurel tree were used to fashion garland crowns worn by the victors of battle, politics, sports, education or any such endeavor valued among these ancient Mediterranean civilizations where the fragrant shrub natively grows. Believe it or not, the Latins developed “laurus” from the Greek word for the laurel tree: “daphne” (δάφνη). It’s hard to believe these two distinctly different words are linguistically related, but they probably are by way of the Sabine dialect (an early Italic tribe that ultimately assimilated into the Latinized Roman Republic). In Greek mythology, Daphne was a mountain nymph with whom the god Apollo fell in love and, thanks to the trickery of Eros’ arrow, took chase in mad pursuit of the virginal beauty. In an effort to elude her pursuer, Daphne begged her father to intervene, at which point she was transformed into a laurel tree (hence her name). Grief-stricken, Apollo fashioned a wreath from her leaves (which is how the laurel wreath became one of Apollo’s cult symbols). In both ancient Greek and Roman cultures, the laurel garland became a symbol of wisdom, honor and accomplishment. In Christian tradition, St. Stephen was given the laurel crown as the first Christian to be martyred for his faith (the Greek “stephanos” means “garland crown”). The glorious, victorious “Laurus” tree has spawned several female given names outside of Daphne and Laurel; most notably Laura and Lauren, but also Lora, Laurie, Lorrie, Lorie, Lori, Lorene, Loretta and Lara just to name a few! Laura came into widespread usage in the Middle Ages thanks to a 9th century saint, Laura of Córdoba. Laura was a Spanish nun who lived in Córdoba during the Moorish (Muslim) occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. She was placed into a cauldron of boiling lead and scalded to death for refusing to renounce her Christian faith. Legends of such Christian martyrs became well-known throughout medieval Europe and naming children after saints was very common. However, what really created interest in the name Laura was the 14th century Italian Renaissance poet Petrarch. Laura de Noves was the real-life object of his desire and the reason he abandoned the priesthood. She apparently aroused all his passionate love which he was unable to reconcile with his religious expectations. Since Laura was a married woman, Petrarch’s love would remain unrequited. Therefore, Laura is often associated with a beautiful woman loved, but one who is out of reach. As mentioned earlier, Laurie is merely a modern diminutive of Laura (“little laurel”). Laurie actually has a longer history of being used as a masculine pet form of Laurence before becoming gender-neutral. Today it is mostly considered feminine.