Lateia
A feminine name of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 100 living Americans carry the first name Lateia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lateia today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lateia births was 1981 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lateia. 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
100
~ 1 in 3,427,543 Americans
Peak year
1981
19 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
1995 SSA rank
#14,720
Tracked since 1980
Census
Lateia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 106 people with the first name Lateia, which placed it at #52,574 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
#52,574
National first-name rank
People counted
106
106 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
91.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lateia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lateia is Black at 91.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Lateia 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 Lateia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.5% · 97
- White3.8% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Popularity
Lateia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lateia from the 1980s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 78 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Lateia remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lateia 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 Lateia 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 Lateia
The name Lateia has its roots in ancient Greek culture, originating from the word "lathein," which means "to escape notice" or "to be hidden." This name dates back to the classical period of ancient Greece, around the 5th century BCE.
Lateia was a relatively uncommon name in ancient Greece, but it held a unique significance. It was often associated with the goddess Artemis, the virgin huntress and protector of young girls. Artemis was revered for her ability to move stealthily and undetected through the wilderness, much like the meaning of the name Lateia suggests.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lateia can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who lived in the 5th century BCE. He mentioned a woman named Lateia in his work "The Histories," although the context and details are not entirely clear.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Lateia. One of the most famous was Lateia of Cyzicus, a philosopher who lived in the 4th century BCE. She was a follower of the Cynic school of philosophy and was known for her unconventional lifestyle and teachings.
Another notable Lateia was a Greek poet who lived in the 3rd century BCE. Although little is known about her life, a few fragments of her poetry have survived, providing a glimpse into the literary culture of the time.
In the realm of mythology, there was a nymph named Lateia who was said to be a companion of Artemis. She was believed to be skilled in the art of hunting and was revered for her ability to move silently through the forests.
During the Byzantine period, there are records of a woman named Lateia who was a prominent figure in the court of Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century CE. She held a position of influence and was known for her wisdom and diplomatic skills.
While the name Lateia may have been relatively uncommon throughout history, it has left a lasting legacy in the realms of philosophy, literature, and mythology. Its connection to the goddess Artemis and the concept of stealth and elusiveness have made it a name with a rich and intriguing background.
People
Lateia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lateia 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
Lateia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lateia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 100 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lateia 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 3,427,543 US residents.
Is Lateia a common name?
We classify Lateia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 106 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lateia most popular?
The single biggest year for Lateia was 1981, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lateia is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lateia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 106 people with the name Lateia, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #52,574 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 Lateia 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 Lateia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lateia appears almost entirely female. Of the 107 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Lateia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lateia is Black at 91.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Lateia most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Lateia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (97 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 Lateia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lateia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lateia 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 Lateia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lateia 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 Lateia 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 many people are called Lateia?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.