Aretina
A feminine name derived from the Latin "aretinus," meaning "from Arezzo" in Italy.
Name Census estimates that about 31 living Americans carry the first name Aretina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Aretina today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Aretina births was 1972 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Aretina. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Aretina. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
31
~ 1 in 11,056,592 Americans
Peak year
1972
12 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
1987 SSA rank
#11,437
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Aretina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Aretina from the 1970s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 29 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aretina by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Aretina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Aretina
The name Aretina has its origins in ancient Greek culture, dating back to the 5th century BCE. It is derived from the Greek word "arete," which means virtue, excellence, or moral strength. This name was likely given to girls born during this era as a symbol of the virtuous qualities their parents hoped they would embody.
In ancient Greek mythology, Aretina was the name of a minor goddess associated with virtue and moral righteousness. She was often depicted alongside other deities representing similar qualities, such as Dike (justice) and Eunomia (good order). The name may have been inspired by this mythological figure.
The earliest recorded use of the name Aretina can be found in ancient Greek texts and inscriptions from the 5th century BCE. One notable example is a marble stele (stone slab) from the island of Delos, which bears an inscription honoring a woman named Aretina for her contributions to the local community.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Aretina. One of the earliest was Aretina of Cyrene (c. 350 BCE), a Greek philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of geometry and is credited with inventing the concept of the golden ratio.
In the 2nd century CE, Aretina of Lesbos was a renowned poet and scholar who wrote extensively on the subject of love and desire. Her works were highly influential in shaping the literary tradition of ancient Greece.
During the Byzantine era, Aretina Scholastikia (c. 520 CE) was a prominent figure in the Eastern Roman Empire. She was a respected scholar and theologian who played a vital role in the development of early Christian doctrine and philosophy.
In the 12th century, Aretina of Arles (c. 1150 CE) was a notable figure in the courtly love tradition of medieval France. Her poems and ballads celebrating the ideals of chivalry and romantic love were widely circulated among the nobility of the time.
In the Renaissance period, Aretina Della Robbia (1436-1521) was an Italian sculptor and ceramist from Florence. She is best known for her exquisite glazed terracotta sculptures, many of which adorned churches and public buildings throughout Italy.
People
Aretina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Aretina as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Aretina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Aretina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 31 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Aretina going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 11,056,592 US residents.
Is Aretina a common name?
We classify Aretina as "Very Rare". It ranks above 47% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 34 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Aretina most popular?
The single biggest year for Aretina was 1972, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Aretina is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Aretina in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Aretina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Aretina in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Aretina still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Aretina in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Aretina can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Aretina?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.