Lavada
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "washed" or "cleansed".
Name Census estimates that about 1,357 living Americans carry the first name Lavada. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lavada today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lavada births was 1921 (111 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lavada. 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
1.4K
~ 1 in 252,582 Americans
Peak year
1921
111 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
2024 SSA rank
#16,570
Tracked since 1881
Popularity
Lavada: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lavada from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 882 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lavada 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 Lavada during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lavadas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 21 states and territories. Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas recorded the most babies named Lavada, while West Virginia, Nebraska, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 82 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lavada
The name Lavada is derived from the Spanish word "lavada," which means "washed" or "bathed." Its origins can be traced back to the Latin word "lavare," meaning "to wash" or "to bathe." This name is believed to have originated in Spain during the medieval period, when bathing and cleanliness held significant cultural and religious importance.
In the early 16th century, the name Lavada appeared in Spanish literature and historical records. One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name was in the book "El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha" by Miguel de Cervantes, published in 1605. In this classic novel, a character named Lavada is described as a young woman who worked as a washerwoman.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Lavada. One of the most famous was Lavada Duhon (1925-2012), an American blues singer and guitarist from Louisiana. She was known for her powerful voice and her contributions to the development of the zydeco music genre.
Another notable Lavada was Lavada Kornegay (1920-2011), an American civil rights activist from North Carolina. She played a crucial role in desegregating public schools and facilities in her hometown of Rocky Mount during the 1960s.
In the 19th century, Lavada Bullard (1837-1914) was a pioneering American educator and suffragist from Massachusetts. She founded several schools for women and actively campaigned for women's right to vote.
Lavada Pinkham (1875-1945) was a Canadian nurse and philanthropist who served during World War I. She established a hospital in France and was awarded the Royal Red Cross for her humanitarian efforts.
Lastly, Lavada Arnett (1903-1992) was an American artist and sculptor from Oklahoma. Her works were exhibited in galleries across the United States and are now part of several museum collections.
While the name Lavada is not as common today as it once was, its rich history and cultural significance have left a lasting impact on various societies and communities around the world.
People
Lavada + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lavada 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
Lavada: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lavada?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,357 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lavada 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 252,582 US residents.
Is Lavada a common name?
We classify Lavada as "Rare". It ranks above 91.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,489 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lavada most popular?
The single biggest year for Lavada was 1921, when 111 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lavada is about 64 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lavada a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lavada 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.