Fleta
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly meaning "to float smoothly".
Name Census estimates that about 154 living Americans carry the first name Fleta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Fleta today is around 81 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fleta births was 1917 (46 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fleta. 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
- • The typical person named Fleta is about 81 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Fletas were born before 1955.
People living today
154
~ 1 in 2,225,678 Americans
Peak year
1917
46 babies that year
Average age
81
years old
1962 SSA rank
#5,467
Tracked since 1881
Popularity
Fleta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fleta from the 1880s through to the 1960s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 336 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fleta 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 Fleta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Fletas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. North Carolina, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Fleta, while Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 25 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Fleta
The name Fleta finds its origins in the Latin language, likely derived from the word "fletus," which means "weeping" or "lament." It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, possibly as a diminutive form of a longer name or as a descriptive term for a child born amidst sorrow or tears.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fleta can be found in the "Fleta" treatise, a legal text written in Latin around 1290 during the reign of Edward I in England. This work, which addressed various aspects of English law, may have been named after its author or compiler, whose identity remains uncertain.
In the 14th century, Fleta de Wileby, an English landowner and heiress, is mentioned in historical records. She was born around 1310 and inherited substantial properties in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, making her a notable figure in her time.
Another prominent figure bearing the name Fleta was Fleta Caldwell Elzey (1888-1965), an American educator and suffragist. She played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement in Arkansas and served as the president of the Arkansas Woman Suffrage Association from 1914 to 1919.
Fleta Springer Fennell (1890-1972) was an influential American mathematician and educator. She made significant contributions to the field of mathematics education and served as the president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics from 1947 to 1948.
Fleta Hylander (1914-1992) was a Swedish actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and stage productions throughout her career. She is remembered for her roles in several popular Swedish films during the 1940s and 1950s.
While the name Fleta may have originated from a Latin word with a somber meaning, it has been embraced by individuals across different cultures and eras, each leaving their unique mark on the history and legacy of this name.
People
Fleta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fleta as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Fleta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fleta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 154 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fleta 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 2,225,678 US residents.
Is Fleta a common name?
We classify Fleta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,333 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fleta most popular?
The single biggest year for Fleta was 1917, when 46 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fleta is about 81 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Fleta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fleta 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.
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.