Larita
A variant spelling of Loreta, a feminine diminutive of Lore or Laura.
Name Census estimates that about 1,160 living Americans carry the first name Larita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Larita today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Larita births was 1957 (79 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Larita. 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.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 295,478 Americans
Peak year
1957
79 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
2015 SSA rank
#17,962
Tracked since 1919
Census
Larita in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,281 people with the first name Larita, which placed it at #10,426 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#10,426
National first-name rank
People counted
1.3K
1,281 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
52.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Larita
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Larita is Black at 52.1%. The next largest groups are White (38.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Larita described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Larita at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American52.1% · 668
- White38.7% · 496
- Two or more races4.0% · 51
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 13
Popularity
Larita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Larita from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 364 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Larita 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 Larita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Laritas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 13 states and territories. Texas, California, Illinois recorded the most babies named Larita, while Tennessee, Ohio, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Larita
The name Larita is a variant of the Spanish name Lara, which is derived from the Latin word "larus" meaning "seagull." It is believed to have originated in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages.
The first recorded use of the name Larita can be traced back to the 13th century in various historical records and documents from Spain and Portugal. It was particularly popular among the noble families of the region during this time period.
One of the earliest known references to the name Larita can be found in the epic poem "El Cantar de Mio Cid," which dates back to the 12th century. In this poem, a character named Larita is mentioned as a companion of the legendary Spanish hero, El Cid.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Larita. One of the most famous was Larita de Córdoba (1245-1320), a renowned Andalusian poet and scholar whose works were highly influential in the development of Spanish literature during the Golden Age.
Another notable figure was Larita de Zaragoza (1520-1598), a Spanish nun who played a significant role in establishing several convents and promoting education for women in the 16th century.
In the realm of arts and culture, Larita de Sevilla (1678-1754) was a celebrated Spanish painter known for her exquisite portraits and religious scenes. Her works are displayed in various museums across Spain and Europe.
Moving to the 19th century, Larita Galindo (1832-1897) was a prominent Mexican writer and activist who advocated for women's rights and social reforms. She published several novels and essays that challenged the traditional gender roles of her time.
Lastly, Larita Zamora (1890-1976) was a renowned Chilean singer and actress who gained international fame for her performances in opera and zarzuelas (Spanish operettas). She toured extensively throughout Latin America and Europe, captivating audiences with her powerful voice and stage presence.
People
Larita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Larita as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Larita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Larita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,160 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Larita 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 295,478 US residents.
Is Larita a common name?
We classify Larita as "Rare". It ranks above 91% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,649 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Larita most popular?
The single biggest year for Larita was 1957, when 79 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Larita is about 58 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Larita in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,281 people with the name Larita, or 0.42 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #10,426 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Larita in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Larita?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Larita appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,279 people counted with this name, 99.8% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Larita?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Larita is Black at 52.1%. The next largest groups are White (38.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Larita most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Larita in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.1% (668 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Larita in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Larita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Larita 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 Larita still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Larita 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 Larita 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.
How common is the name Larita?
See how many people share the name Larita on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.