Laurie

Laurie has been used as an affectionate form of both Laura and Laurence, as well as a complete given name. Laura is associated with the laurel tree, while Laurence comes from a Latin name identifying someone from Laurentum. The two routes are often linked in name explanations, but a family connection can make one particular history more relevant.

In Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, Theodore Laurence is known as Laurie, with the nickname drawn from his surname. That literary association helps explain why Laurie feels familiar as a boy's name as well as a girl's. Lori is another common written form, while Laurie keeps the visible connection to both Laura and Laurence.