Latona
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "the hidden one".
Name Census estimates that about 306 living Americans carry the first name Latona. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Latona today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Latona births was 1971 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Latona. 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
306
~ 1 in 1,120,112 Americans
Peak year
1971
23 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
1991 SSA rank
#12,372
Tracked since 1956
Popularity
Latona: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Latona from the 1950s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 140 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
Latona 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 Latona 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 Latona
The name Latona has its origins in ancient Greek mythology and is closely tied to the goddess of the same name. Latona was a Titaness, the daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe. She was the mother of the twin deities Apollo and Artemis, two of the most important figures in the Greek pantheon.
The name Latona is thought to be derived from the ancient Greek word "lēthō," which means "to be concealed" or "to escape notice." This could be a reference to the wanderings of Latona as she sought a safe place to give birth to her children, evading the wrath of the jealous goddess Hera.
In ancient texts, Latona's story is prominently featured in various works, including Ovid's Metamorphoses and the Homeric Hymn to Apollo. These accounts depict her struggles and the eventual birth of Apollo and Artemis on the island of Delos.
The earliest recorded use of the name Latona dates back to ancient Greek times, as it was a name bestowed upon the mythological figure. However, its use as a given name for mortals is not widely documented until much later in history.
One notable figure who bore the name Latona was Latona Caufman Bassett (1827-1913), an American educator and author. She was a prominent figure in the women's suffrage movement and founded the National Woman's Relief Corps, an auxiliary organization to the Grand Army of the Republic.
Another individual with the name Latona was Latona Maria Stroller (1912-1991), an Austrian painter and graphic artist known for her abstract expressionist works. She was a member of the influential Viennese avant-garde art scene in the mid-20th century.
In the field of literature, Latona Ann Cropper (1840-1926) was an American writer and educator who authored several books, including "Mary, Wife of Lincoln," a biography of Mary Todd Lincoln.
Latona Fae Carter (1903-1988) was an American actress and singer who performed on stage and in films during the early 20th century. She is best known for her roles in Broadway productions and her work with the Ziegfeld Follies.
Finally, Latona McClain (1865-1956) was an American educator and civil rights activist. She served as the president of the Arkansas State Teachers Association and worked tirelessly to improve educational opportunities for African American students in the segregated South.
People
Latona + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Latona 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
Latona: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Latona?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 306 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Latona 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 1,120,112 US residents.
Is Latona a common name?
We classify Latona as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 345 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Latona most popular?
The single biggest year for Latona was 1971, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Latona is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Latona a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Latona 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.