Given name & surname
Lari
“a lighthearted woman”
Lari is a variant of Larissa. One Latin interpretation is “a lighthearted woman.” Its derivation is not certain.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Lari is a variant of Larissa. One Latin interpretation is “a lighthearted woman.” Its derivation is not certain.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Lari is a variant of Larissa. A possible origin is Greek, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Finnish usage, Lari is a short form of Ilari. In Ingrian usage, Lari developed from Иларион.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1942. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Lari through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 879
- 38 boys · 841 girls
- Most popular year
- 1959
- 48 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 2006. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 41 in 1959. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 889 as a first name in 2020; 410 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Lari’s family of names
In Finnish usage, Lari is a short form of Ilari. In Ingrian usage, Lari developed from the Russian form Иларион. Lari has a related form in Laura.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Lari has relatives in 3 languages.
4 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 8
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Lari
- Lari WhiteAmerican singer-songwriter (1965-2018)
- Lari LehtonenFinnish cross-country skierborn 1987
- Lari WilliamsNigerian actor and poet1940–2022
- Lari KetnerAmerican basketball player (born 1977)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Lari, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Lori
“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls
Terri
“a harvester” · “learned”
>99% girls
Peri
Peri is a surname. It is used in English and Finnish.
>99% girls
Dori
“a gift of God” · “of the ancient Greek tribe, the Dorians”
>99% girls
Perri
“one who travels; a wanderer”
>99% girls
Luanna
“one who is content and enjoys life”
>99% girls
Laurie
“man from Laurentum; crowned with laurel” · “crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls
Mari
“a wished-for daughter”
4% boys · 96% girls