Lavonia
A feminine name derived from French Lavonie, of uncertain meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 798 living Americans carry the first name Lavonia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lavonia today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lavonia births was 1923 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lavonia. 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
798
~ 1 in 429,517 Americans
Peak year
1923
37 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
1994 SSA rank
#12,698
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Lavonia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lavonia from the 1880s through to the 1990s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 289 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
Lavonia 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 Lavonia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lavonias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Georgia, Texas, Alabama recorded the most babies named Lavonia, while New York, North Carolina, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 41 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lavonia
The name Lavonia has its origins in the Latin language and is derived from the word "lavo," meaning "to wash" or "to bathe." It is believed to have emerged during the Roman era, around the first few centuries AD.
In ancient Roman culture, the name was likely associated with purity, cleanliness, and renewal. It may have been given to children born near bodies of water or those whose births were seen as a symbolic cleansing or fresh start.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lavonia can be found in a Roman inscription from the 3rd century AD, which mentioned a woman named Lavonia Caecilia. This suggests that the name was in use among the Roman populace during that time period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Lavonia. One example is Lavonia Aiken (1827-1908), an American educator and writer who founded the Aiken Female Institute in South Carolina in the mid-19th century.
Another individual with this name was Lavonia Alma Imus (1855-1937), an American artist known for her portraits and landscapes. She was born in Missouri and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago.
In the 20th century, Lavonia Bacon (1902-1967) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives from 1935 to 1939.
Lavonia Benton (1905-1987) was an American blues singer and songwriter active in the 1920s and 1930s. She recorded several songs for various record labels during that era.
Lastly, Lavonia Ingram (1892-1949) was an American writer and journalist who authored several books and worked as a reporter for various newspapers in the early 20th century.
While the name Lavonia is not as common today as it once was, its historical roots and associations with purity and cleanliness provide an interesting glimpse into the cultural influences and naming traditions of ancient Rome.
People
Lavonia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lavonia 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
Lavonia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lavonia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 798 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lavonia 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 429,517 US residents.
Is Lavonia a common name?
We classify Lavonia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,901 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lavonia most popular?
The single biggest year for Lavonia was 1923, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lavonia is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lavonia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lavonia 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.