Lathe
A name referring to a machine tool for shaping wood or metal.
Name Census estimates that about 17 living Americans carry the first name Lathe. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lathe today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lathe births was 2003 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lathe. 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 Lathe. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
17
~ 1 in 20,162,020 Americans
Peak year
2003
8 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2007 SSA rank
#13,571
Tracked since 1972
Census
Lathe in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 111 people with the first name Lathe, which placed it at #51,800 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
#51,800
National first-name rank
People counted
111
111 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
83.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lathe
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lathe is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (6.3%). 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 Lathe 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 Lathe at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 93
- Black or African American6.3% · 7
- Two or more races6.3% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Popularity
Lathe: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lathe from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 13 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
Lathe 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 Lathe 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 Lathe
The name Lathe is believed to have originated from the Latin word "latus," which means "side" or "flank." This name first appeared in ancient Roman records, where it was used to refer to the side pieces of furniture or architectural elements. It is possible that the name was initially given to individuals who worked as woodworkers or craftsmen, as lathes are tools used for shaping wood or metal.
In the Middle Ages, the name Lathe was occasionally used in parts of Europe, particularly in regions with strong Roman influences. However, it was not a widely popular name during this period. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lathe can be found in a 12th-century manuscript from a monastery in Northern Italy, where a monk named Lathe is mentioned as a skilled woodcarver.
During the Renaissance period, the name Lathe gained some popularity among artisans and craftsmen in Italy and other parts of Europe. A notable figure bearing this name was Lathe Benvenuti, a 15th-century Italian sculptor and woodcarver from Florence, known for his intricate carvings in churches and palaces.
In the 17th century, a Dutch explorer and navigator named Lathe Hendrikszoon sailed with the Dutch East India Company and is credited with mapping parts of the Australian coastline. His journals and maps from his voyages in the early 1600s are preserved in the Dutch National Archives.
Another historical figure with the name Lathe was Lathe Müller, a German woodworker and furniture maker from the 18th century. He is renowned for his innovative techniques in woodturning and his ornately carved chairs and tables, which are now considered masterpieces of German craftsmanship.
In the 19th century, a French architect named Lathe Durand designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Palais de la Bourse (Stock Exchange Building) and the Church of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul. His architectural style blended classical and modern elements, contributing to the distinct character of Parisian architecture during that period.
While the name Lathe has been relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields, particularly those related to woodworking, craftsmanship, and architecture. The name's origins can be traced back to ancient Roman times, reflecting its connection to the art of shaping and creating with materials like wood and metal.
People
Lathe + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lathe 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
Lathe: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lathe?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 17 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lathe 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 20,162,020 US residents.
Is Lathe a common name?
We classify Lathe as "Very Rare". It ranks above 37.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 18 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lathe most popular?
The single biggest year for Lathe was 2003, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lathe is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lathe in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 111 people with the name Lathe, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #51,800 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 Lathe 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 Lathe?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lathe appears almost entirely male. Of the 102 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. 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 Lathe?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lathe is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (6.3%). 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 Lathe most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Lathe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (93 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 Lathe in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lathe a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lathe in the SSA data are male. 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 Lathe still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lathe 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 Lathe 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 named Lathe?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.