Famous bearers include the Renaissance painter Antonio Pisanello (c. 1395-1455) and the Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741). It is also the name of the main character in The Merchant of Venice (1596) by William Shakespeare.
Other famous bearers of this name include Spanish painter Diego Velázquez (1599-1660), Mexican muralist Diego Rivera (1886-1957) and Argentine soccer player Diego Maradona (1960-2020).
This is also an alternate transcription of Russian Ева (see Yeva).
This is the usual form of the name Elizabeth in Spain and Portugal, though elsewhere it is considered a parallel name, such as in France where it is used alongside Élisabeth. The name was borne by two Spanish ruling queens, including Isabel of Castile, who sponsored the explorations of Christopher Columbus.
As an English name, Laura has been used since the 13th century. Famous bearers include Laura Secord (1775-1868), a Canadian heroine during the War of 1812, and Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957), an American author who wrote the Little House on the Prairie series of novels.
In Spain this has been the most consistently popular name for girls since the 13th century. Over the last 100 years it has remained very popular, frequently ranked first and never out of the top 20. It is often part of a double name, sometimes referencing an aspect of the Virgin Mary, such as María Carmen or María Dolores. It is occasionally used as a masculine middle name (or as the second part of a masculine double name, such as José María).