Lera
A Russian feminine diminutive form of the name Valeria, derived from Latin "valere" meaning "to be strong, healthy".
Name Census estimates that about 694 living Americans carry the first name Lera. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lera today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lera births was 1921 (73 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lera. 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 Lera with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
694
~ 1 in 493,882 Americans
Peak year
1921
73 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,454
Tracked since 1885
Census
Lera in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 950 people with the first name Lera, which placed it at #12,897 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
#12,897
National first-name rank
People counted
950
950 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
69.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lera
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lera is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Lera 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 Lera at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.2% · 657
- Black or African American20.2% · 192
- Two or more races4.3% · 41
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 4
Popularity
Lera: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lera 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 568 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
Lera 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 Lera during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Leras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Texas, Alabama, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Lera, while Arkansas, Oklahoma, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 85 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lera
The name Lera has its origins in the Russian language and culture, with roots dating back to the early medieval period. It is a diminutive form of the Slavic name Valeriya, which itself is derived from the Latin word "valere," meaning "to be strong" or "to be well."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lera can be found in the chronicles of the Kievan Rus', a medieval East Slavic state that existed from the 9th to the 13th century. During this time, the name was primarily associated with members of the nobility and aristocracy, reflecting its connotations of strength and vitality.
Throughout the centuries, the name Lera has been borne by several notable figures in Russian history and culture. One such individual was Lera Auerbach, a Russian-American composer and pianist born in 1973. Her works have been performed by renowned orchestras and ensembles around the world, earning her critical acclaim and numerous awards.
In the realm of literature, Lera Karaulova (1853-1928) was a Russian writer and educator who made significant contributions to children's literature and education reform. Her works aimed to promote moral and ethical values while also fostering a love for reading among young audiences.
Another notable bearer of the name was Lera Novikova (1904-1986), a Soviet actress and film director who played a pivotal role in shaping the early years of Soviet cinema. Her performances in films such as "Bed and Sofa" (1927) and "The Youth of Maxim" (1935) are considered classics of the era.
The name Lera also found its way into the annals of Russian military history through the figure of Lera Manakova (1919-1943). A member of the Soviet partisan movement during World War II, Manakova fought bravely against the Nazi occupation forces and was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for her valor and sacrifices.
In the realm of sports, Lera Grinchenko (born 1983) is a Ukrainian professional tennis player who has achieved notable success on the WTA Tour. Her achievements include reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open in 2008 and representing Ukraine in multiple Olympic Games.
While the name Lera has its roots in the Slavic world, it has since gained popularity in various other cultures and languages, with variations and adaptations appearing in different parts of the world. However, its origins and historical significance remain firmly rooted in the rich tapestry of Russian culture and heritage.
People
Lera + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lera 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
Lera: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lera?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 694 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lera 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 493,882 US residents.
Is Lera a common name?
We classify Lera as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,599 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lera most popular?
The single biggest year for Lera was 1921, when 73 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lera is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lera in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 950 people with the name Lera, or 0.31 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,897 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 Lera 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 Lera?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lera appears almost entirely female. Of the 945 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 Lera?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lera is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Lera most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Lera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.2% (657 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 Lera in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lera a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lera 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 Lera still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lera 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 Lera 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 common is the name Lera?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.