Latarsha
A feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially a combination of Latar and Sha.
Name Census estimates that about 1,808 living Americans carry the first name Latarsha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Latarsha today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Latarsha births was 1976 (171 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Latarsha. 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
1.8K
~ 1 in 189,577 Americans
Peak year
1976
171 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
1995 SSA rank
#10,101
Tracked since 1964
Popularity
Latarsha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Latarsha from the 1960s through to the 1990s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 1,257 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
Latarsha 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 Latarsha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Latarshas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 15 states and territories. Texas, Florida, Maryland recorded the most babies named Latarsha, while Arkansas, Illinois, District of Columbia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 94 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Latarsha
The name Latarsha appears to be a more modern variation of the historically feminine name Latasha, which has origins rooted in various cultures and languages. It is believed to have emerged as a blend of the French name Natacha, itself derived from the Russian Natasha, and the Arabic name Leila or Laila.
The earliest known records of the name Latasha can be traced back to the late 19th century in parts of the southern United States, particularly among African American communities. It is speculated that the name may have been influenced by the blending of French, Russian, and Arabic naming traditions brought together through the diverse cultural exchanges of the time.
While the name Latarsha does not appear to have any direct references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its predecessor, Latasha, has been recorded in historical documents from the early 20th century onwards. One of the earliest notable individuals to bear the name was Latasha Byears, an African American writer and activist born in 1920 in Mississippi, who was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement.
Another influential figure with the name Latasha was Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old African American girl whose tragic shooting death in 1991 sparked outrage and was a contributing factor to the Los Angeles riots of 1992. Her story brought national attention to issues of racial injustice and police brutality.
Other historically significant individuals with the name Latasha include Latasha Diggs, a pioneering journalist and publisher born in 1956, who founded the influential Black Voices magazine; and Latasha Robinson, a renowned dancer and choreographer born in 1970, who revolutionized contemporary dance with her unique style and influence.
While the name Latarsha itself may be a more recent iteration, it carries the cultural legacy and historical weight of its predecessor, reflecting the rich tapestry of diverse influences that have shaped naming traditions over time.
People
Latarsha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Latarsha 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
Latarsha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Latarsha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,808 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Latarsha 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 189,577 US residents.
Is Latarsha a common name?
We classify Latarsha as "Rare". It ranks above 93.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,975 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Latarsha most popular?
The single biggest year for Latarsha was 1976, when 171 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Latarsha is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Latarsha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Latarsha 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.