[name]Just[/name] currious what everyone thinks of [name]Laurel[/name]? Please share…
[name]Love[/name] it! My best friend’s name is [name]Laurel[/name] and she gets complimented all the time.
She pronounces it “LOR-uhl”
I like it; I think it’s a fresh alternative for [name]Lauren[/name]. The only way I’ve heard it pronounced is LOR-el.
I agree with everything already said. 
I love [name]Laurel[/name] so much! I grew up with a [name]Laurel[/name], and she pronounced it like the previous poster (I can’t remember who it was!) said…[name]LORE[/name]-uhl.
I was so happy to hear [name]Laurel[/name] the other day when I was watching [name]Jerry[/name] [name]Maguire[/name] ([name]Bonnie[/name] [name]Hunt[/name] played a “[name]Laurel[/name]”).
Because of its ties to nature, it feels so peaceful and elegant to me.
Good luck!
I knew a lot of [name]Laurens[/name] growing up, but didn’t encounter a [name]Laurel[/name] until college. I must say though, I highly prefer it to [name]Lauren[/name]. It has a strong history: the term poet laureate comes from poets being bestowed a ring of laurel around their head by royalty, signifying their prestige. It also just has a more feminine tone to it. Personally, I used to get attacked for calling [name]Laurens[/name] “LOR-in” (“No! It’s LAH-rin!”) so I got used to pronouncing Lau- names “Lah.” I would have to say that I pronounce it “LAH-rel.”
Honestly, whichever way you pronounce it, it is a beautiful choice.
I love [name]Laurel[/name] and am actually pretty surprised it hasn’t gotten more popular…[name]Lauren[/name] and [name]Laura[/name] are both on downswings, and it seems like the time is ripe for another [name]Laura[/name]-related name to start heating up.
I think the pronunciation issue is really more a question of accent than of personal preference–the more rhotic your accent, the more likely you are to tend toward the “[name]LORE[/name]” pronunciation. Regardless of pronunciation, it’s a great name.
Being a [name]Lauren[/name], I think [name]Laurel[/name] is a cute alternative to my name - considering that my name means “laurel” and all…
I’ve known one [name]Laurel[/name] in my life, and she pronounced her name “[name]LORE[/name]-uhl,” but I think [name]Laurel[/name] could lend itself to the same pronunciation issues that [name]Lauren[/name] has…
For example, my name is [name]Lauren[/name], as I said. My mom, when she actually uses my name (my parents usually call me [name]Birdie[/name]), says LAHR-ren, with a long A sound. However, in general, most people - including my father - pronounce my name as [name]LORE[/name]-ehn or even [name]LORE[/name]-ihn. My mom is a stickler for pronouncing my name, though, but she rarely, if ever, uses it. I honestly can’t tell you the last time my mom called me [name]Lauren[/name], and my dad only uses my name when we’re in a crowd of unfamiliar people. Okay, sorry, you really didn’t need to know all of that…
Good luck!
I love [name]Laurel[/name] so much because it is a nature name. [name]Love[/name] [name]Laura[/name], too, even though it’s less popular than it was several years ago.
I love [name]Laura[/name], too! 
Oh wow! I wasn’t expecting all the positive feedback - this is great!!! Any nn ideas? Thanks everyone!