Latonia
Of Spanish origin, referring to Latona, the Roman goddess of darkness.
Name Census estimates that about 4,545 living Americans carry the first name Latonia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Latonia today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Latonia births was 1972 (371 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Latonia. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Latonia with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
4.5K
~ 1 in 75,413 Americans
Peak year
1972
371 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
1975 SSA rank
#5,168
Tracked since 1947
Census
Latonia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,812 people with the first name Latonia, which placed it at #4,762 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
#4,762
National first-name rank
People counted
3.8K
3,812 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
89.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Latonia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Latonia is Black at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Latonia 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 Latonia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American89.3% · 3,404
- White5.5% · 209
- Two or more races3.0% · 116
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 6
Gender
Gender distribution for Latonia
Out of the 5,120 babies given the name Latonia since 1880, 99.7% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Latonia as a male name
- Ranked #5,168 in 1975
- 6 male births in 1975
- Peak: 1975 (6 births)
Latonia as a female name
- Ranked #18,362 in 2011
- 5 female births in 2011
- Peak: 1972 (371 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Latonia appears almost entirely female. Of the 3,810 people counted with this name, 99.4% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Latonia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Latonia from the 1940s through to the 2010s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 2,662 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
Latonia 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 Latonia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Latonias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 24 states and territories. Illinois, Texas, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Latonia, while Indiana, District of Columbia, Wisconsin recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 155 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Latonia
The name Latonia has its origins in ancient Roman culture and mythology. It is derived from the Latin word "Latonia," which was an epithet used to refer to the goddess Diana, the Roman deity of the hunt, the moon, and nature. The name is believed to have been formed from the word "Latinus," meaning "Latin" or "Roman," signifying Diana's status as a prominent Roman goddess.
Latonia was a revered name in ancient Rome, particularly among those who held Diana in high regard. It was often bestowed upon children as a way to honor the goddess and seek her blessings. The name can be found inscribed on various artifacts, such as statues, altars, and inscriptions dedicated to Diana.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Latonia dates back to the 1st century AD, when it appeared in the writings of the Roman poet Ovid. In his work "Metamorphoses," Ovid mentions a character named Latonia, who was a follower of Diana.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Latonia. One of the most famous was Latonia Vibia Sabina (83-137 AD), the wife of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. She was known for her beauty, intelligence, and influential role in the imperial court.
Another prominent figure was Latonia Paulina (c. 145-205 AD), a Roman noblewoman and philosopher. She was renowned for her literary works and her advocacy for women's education and rights.
In the realm of religion, Latonia was the name of a revered 4th-century Christian martyr. Saint Latonia of Carthage (c. 290-304 AD) was a young woman who was executed for her faith during the persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Diocletian.
During the Renaissance period, Latonia Petrucci (1466-1520) was an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts. She was known for her support of artists and intellectuals, including the famous painter Raphael.
Lastly, Latonia Romanova (1692-1758) was a Russian princess and member of the Romanov dynasty. She was known for her philanthropic efforts and her support of various charitable institutions in St. Petersburg.
While the name Latonia has its roots in ancient Roman culture, it has been embraced and adapted by various societies throughout history, serving as a tribute to the enduring legacy of the goddess Diana and the appreciation for the values she represented.
People
Latonia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Latonia 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
Latonia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Latonia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4,545 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Latonia 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 75,413 US residents.
Is Latonia a common name?
We classify Latonia as "Rare". It ranks above 96.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5,120 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Latonia most popular?
The single biggest year for Latonia was 1972, when 371 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Latonia is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Latonia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,812 people with the name Latonia, or 1.26 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,762 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 Latonia 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 Latonia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Latonia appears almost entirely female. Of the 3,810 people counted with this name, 99.4% 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 Latonia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Latonia is Black at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Latonia most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Latonia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (3,404 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 Latonia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Latonia a female name?
Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Latonia 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 Latonia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Latonia 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 Latonia 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 Americans are named Latonia?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.