Latosha
An invented feminine name of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 5,969 living Americans carry the first name Latosha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Latosha today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Latosha births was 1979 (482 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Latosha. 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
6.0K
~ 1 in 57,422 Americans
Peak year
1979
482 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
2012 SSA rank
#18,376
Tracked since 1962
Census
Latosha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,531 people with the first name Latosha, which placed it at #4,211 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
#4,211
National first-name rank
People counted
4.5K
4,531 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
80.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Latosha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Latosha is Black at 80.0%. The next largest groups are White (13.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Latosha 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 Latosha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American80.0% · 3,625
- White13.5% · 610
- Two or more races4.2% · 191
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 77
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 6
Popularity
Latosha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Latosha from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 2,911 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
Latosha 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 Latosha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Latoshas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 27 states and territories. Texas, Florida, Georgia recorded the most babies named Latosha, while Connecticut, Wisconsin, Kansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 198 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Latosha
The given name Latosha is a relatively modern name that emerged in the United States during the 20th century. It is believed to be a combination of the names Latoya and Tasha, both of which have roots in various cultures.
Latoya is a feminine name of African origin, derived from the French phrase "la petite," meaning "the little one." It gained popularity in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly among African American families. Tasha, on the other hand, is a diminutive form of the Russian name Natalya, which means "born on Christmas Day."
While the name Latosha itself does not have a long historical record, it reflects the cultural diversity and blending of influences that have shaped American society. The combination of elements from African and Slavic origins creates a unique and distinctive name that has found a place in the modern naming traditions of certain communities.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Latosha can be found in the United States Census records from the late 20th century. However, it is important to note that census data may not always accurately capture the prevalence and usage of names, especially those that are relatively new or specific to certain communities.
Throughout its relatively short history, the name Latosha has been borne by several notable individuals, including:
1. Latosha Walcott, an American professional basketball player born in 1983, who played in the WNBA.
2. Latosha Thomas, an American track and field athlete born in 1986, who competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
3. Latosha Clemons, an American fashion designer and entrepreneur known for her clothing line Clemons Closet.
4. Latosha Peavy, an American gospel singer and songwriter, known for her powerful vocals and inspirational music.
5. Latosha Belcher, an American author and motivational speaker, who has written books on personal growth and empowerment.
While the name Latosha may not have a long and storied history like some ancient names, it represents the dynamism and diversity of modern naming practices, reflecting the rich cultural tapestry of contemporary societies.
People
Latosha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Latosha 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
Latosha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Latosha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5,969 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Latosha 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 57,422 US residents.
Is Latosha a common name?
We classify Latosha as "Rare". It ranks above 96.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6,442 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Latosha most popular?
The single biggest year for Latosha was 1979, when 482 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Latosha is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Latosha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,531 people with the name Latosha, or 1.50 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,211 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 Latosha 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 Latosha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Latosha appears almost entirely female. Of the 4,533 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 Latosha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Latosha is Black at 80.0%. The next largest groups are White (13.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Latosha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Latosha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (3,625 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 Latosha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Latosha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Latosha 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 Latosha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Latosha 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 Latosha 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 Latosha?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.