Lavetta
A feminine name derived from French elements meaning "little woman".
Name Census estimates that about 726 living Americans carry the first name Lavetta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lavetta today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lavetta births was 1965 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lavetta. 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
726
~ 1 in 472,113 Americans
Peak year
1965
31 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
1993 SSA rank
#10,131
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Lavetta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lavetta from the 1910s through to the 1990s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 256 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lavetta 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 Lavetta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lavettas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Florida, Illinois, Missouri recorded the most babies named Lavetta, while Texas, Ohio, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lavetta
The name Lavetta is derived from the French word "lavette," which means "little washer" or "little cloth." It is believed to have originated in the Middle Ages, when it was common for people to be named after their occupations or trades.
In the early days, Lavetta was likely a nickname or a diminutive form of the name Lavedra, which was a feminine form of the French word "laver," meaning "to wash." The name was particularly popular in regions of France where washing and cleaning were important industries, such as in the textile manufacturing areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lavetta can be found in the 14th-century French text "Le Roman de la Rose," which mentions a character named Lavette. This suggests that the name was already in use during that time period.
In the 16th century, there is a record of a woman named Lavetta de Montfort, who was a noblewoman from the Montfort family in France. This indicates that the name had spread beyond its original occupational roots and was being used by members of the aristocracy.
Another notable figure with the name Lavetta was Lavetta Pratt (1857-1935), an American educator and women's rights activist. She was a prominent figure in the suffragette movement and worked tirelessly to promote educational opportunities for women.
In the world of literature, there is a character named Lavetta in the novel "The Serpent and the Pearl" by Kate Quinn, published in 2013. The character is a young woman living in Renaissance-era Italy.
Another individual worth mentioning is Lavetta Slater (1923-2013), an American jazz singer and actress. She was known for her performances in the 1940s and 1950s, and her unique vocal style influenced many other singers of her era.
Finally, Lavetta Hoyt (1920-2010) was an American artist and sculptor. She was particularly renowned for her bronze sculptures, which depicted scenes from everyday life and captured the human form with great detail and emotion.
While the name Lavetta may have its roots in humble occupations, it has since transcended its origins and has been borne by notable figures in various fields throughout history, reflecting the richness and diversity of its heritage.
People
Lavetta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lavetta 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
Lavetta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lavetta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 726 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lavetta 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 472,113 US residents.
Is Lavetta a common name?
We classify Lavetta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,186 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lavetta most popular?
The single biggest year for Lavetta was 1965, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lavetta is about 59 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lavetta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lavetta 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.