Coletha
A feminine given name of Greek origin meaning "woven garland".
Name Census estimates that about 25 living Americans carry the first name Coletha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Coletha today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Coletha births was 1972 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Coletha. 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 Coletha. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
25
~ 1 in 13,710,174 Americans
Peak year
1972
6 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
1984 SSA rank
#9,369
Tracked since 1922
Popularity
Coletha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Coletha from the 1920s through to the 1980s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 12 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Coletha 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 Coletha 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 Coletha
Coletha is a given name with uncertain origins, but it is believed to have emerged in the late 19th or early 20th century, possibly as a variant of the name Coletta. While its exact roots remain unclear, some scholars suggest it may have derived from the Greek word "kolpos," meaning bosom or lap, or the Latin "columba," meaning dove.
The earliest recorded use of the name Coletha dates back to the late 1800s in the United States, particularly in the Southern states. It gained some popularity during the early 20th century, though it remained relatively uncommon compared to more mainstream names of the time.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Coletha was Coletha J. Collins (1876-1944), an African American educator and civil rights activist from Louisiana. She worked tirelessly to improve educational opportunities for Black students and played a crucial role in desegregating public schools in her state.
Another notable figure was Coletha Albert (1905-1988), an American actress and singer who performed on Broadway and in Hollywood films during the 1930s and 1940s. She is best remembered for her roles in productions such as "Porgy and Bess" and "Show Boat."
In the realm of literature, Coletha Davis (1919-2007) was an acclaimed African American author and poet. Her works, including the novel "Life Ain't Been No Crystal Stair," explored themes of race, identity, and the African American experience.
Coletha M. Robinson (1929-2005) was a pioneering African American journalist and editor who worked for several prominent publications, including Ebony magazine. She was instrumental in amplifying the voices and stories of the Black community during the Civil Rights Movement.
Finally, Coletha S. Arledge (1936-2018) was a notable American politician and community leader. She served as a member of the Mississippi State Senate from 1985 to 1992, advocating for educational reform and economic development in her state.
While the name Coletha may have been more prevalent in certain regions and time periods, its use has remained relatively rare throughout history. Nonetheless, the individuals who have carried this name have left a lasting impact across various fields, contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural and societal progress.
People
Coletha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Coletha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Coletha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Coletha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 25 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Coletha 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 13,710,174 US residents.
Is Coletha a common name?
We classify Coletha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 43.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 38 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Coletha most popular?
The single biggest year for Coletha was 1972, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Coletha is about 53 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 Coletha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Coletha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Coletha 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 Coletha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Coletha 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 Coletha 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 have Coletha as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.