AudraNet

The AudraNet

About AudraNet

AudraNet is a place where people from all over the world can come together and share in glorious collective Audra-ness. We Audra's have a special kinship with each other. At least one of our parents was probably a fan of the 70s western drama, "The Big Valley." We've all had to come to terms with the strange phenomenon of other people not being able to pronounce our name, even though it is spelled very clearly. Also most of of grew up knowing no other Audra's, and I wanted to create a place for us to connect, even if just to say, "Hey, my name is Audra too!"

To join AudraNet, just e-mail me with your information.

Meaning and Origin

Audra means "noble strength." The name is Teutonic, dating back to pre-Christian Germany. The Teutonic people brought the name to England when they migrated there.

Popularity

The name Audra ranked #681 in the the 1000 most popular female baby names in the early 1900s. From there it declined until the 1940s when it fell off the chart completely, but it was revived again in the late 1960s, climbing to #390 during the 1970s. However it is on the decline once again, having fallen down to #879 in the 1990s. (Information obtained from TheName-O-Meter at Parenting.Com)

Well-known Audra's

Audra Barkley - TV Character

Audra innocently clutches her whip

Audra rounds up the desperados

Even though Audra Barkley is a fictional character, I've put her here at the top of the list because without her, most of us real Audra's wouldn't be Audra's today. We might have been Amber's or Ashley's or <shudder> Heather's. So we must pay tribute to Audra Barkley for inspiring our parents.

"The Big Valley" was a Western drama that ran from 1965 to 1969. The show took place in California in the late 1800s, and featured a ranching family called the Barkleys: mother Victoria, sons Jarrod, Nick, and Heath, and the youngest only daughter, Audra. Audra Barkley was played by Linda Evans. Kellie's Big Valley Site has more than you ever wanted to know about the series. That's where these pictures came from.

Audra Lindley - Actress

Born September 24, 1918, Audra Lindley was the product of the previous wave of Audra popularity. Her parents were in show business she began her show biz career early doing stand-in roles, and worked her way up to Broadway. Of course she'll always be remembered as the crazy, redheaded, mumu-wearing, sex-starved Helen Roper on "Three's Company" and "The Ropers" which she played from 1977 to 1981. She died October 16, 1997 of complications from leukemia.

Audra McDonald - Singer/Actress

Born July 3, 1970, Audra McDonald probablt the most famous Audra around today. She comes from a family of musicians, including her parents, aunts, and grandparents. She is a Juilliard-trained vocalist, and has won Tony Awards for Carousel, The Master Class, and Ragtime. She has released three albums: Way Back to Paradise (1998), How Glory Goes (2000), and her latest, Happy Songs (2002).
Credits
Biography

Audra Marie - Model

Born 1982, Audra Marie Perkins started life as an Audrey, and became an Audra by choice.
Savvy Profile
Audra Marie's Success Story

Personal Audra Sites

Audra Allen - Adoption manager and humanitarian aid coordinator. Eric and Audra's GR5 walking page and book.
"I'm 30. I inherited my name from my grandmother's sister (my great aunt)."

Audra Smoke Conner - Educational Talent Search Counselor

Audra Curry - Child learning center director

Audra Hammer - Me, the creator of AudraNet!
Born August 3, 1976

Audra Koliba - The Land of Audra
Born June 16, 1972
"My mom was so creative that she took my name from Linda Evans' character on "The Big Valley". I then had a very good childhood friend whose name was also Audra and my brother had at least four Audra's in his high school, so my mom did not feel near as creative at that point. I do love my name though, even though there was quite a concentration of us when I was younger, I don't seem to run into many of us in my adult life. I love having a unique name!!!! I once looked up the name to find out anything about it and it turns out that Audra is an Anglo Saxon name meaning noble strength...that's me and I think all my friends would agree."

Audra Lemke
"Yes, my mom did get the name from "The Big Valley" as you guessed! Believe it or not, I met a number of other Audra's in
the small town I grew up in New York! And people liked my name so much, I know of several people who named their new babies Audra after meeting me!"

Audra Marie Ludwick
Born May 17, 1994

Audra McGuyer - student, seamstress-in-training

Audra Piskiel - veterinary student

Audra Pompeani

Audra Snider

Audra Van - audravan's Xanga Site
Born December 3, 1972

Professional Audra Sites

Audra Draper - Master bladesmith

Audra Esch - Artist

Audra Ann Furuichi - Artist

Audra Grayson - Writer

Audra Geras - Medical illustrator