Lether
Of undetermined origin and meaning, a unique given name.
Name Census estimates that about 17 living Americans carry the first name Lether. It is a predominantly female name (98.0% of registrations). The average person named Lether today is around 89 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lether births was 1916 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lether. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Lether is about 89 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Lethers were born before 1947.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Lether. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
17
~ 1 in 20,162,020 Americans
Peak year
1916
16 babies that year
Average age
89
years old
1916 SSA rank
#4,257
Tracked since 1897
Gender
Gender distribution for Lether
Lether leans heavily female at 98.0% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Lether as a male name
- Ranked #4,257 in 1916
- 5 male births in 1916
- Peak: 1916 (5 births)
Lether as a female name
- Ranked #5,667 in 1949
- 5 female births in 1949
- Peak: 1924 (14 births)
Popularity
Lether: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lether from the 1890s through to the 1940s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 86 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
Lether 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 Lether during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lethers live
Origin
Meaning and history of Lether
The name Lether is a relatively obscure given name with origins that can be traced back to ancient Germanic languages. It is believed to have derived from the Proto-Germanic root "leth-," which meant "to let go" or "to release." This root eventually evolved into words like "ledig" in Old Norse and "ledig" in Old High German, both meaning "free" or "available."
One of the earliest known references to the name Lether can be found in the Frankish Annals, a chronicle of the Carolingian dynasty compiled in the 9th century. In this text, a certain "Lether of Burgundy" is mentioned as a minor noble who participated in a military campaign against the Saxons in 779 AD.
In the 11th century, a Benedictine monk named Lether von Prüm gained some renown for his scholarly works on theology and philosophy. Born in the Rhineland region of modern-day Germany around 1020, he spent most of his life at the Abbey of Prüm, where he produced several treatises on topics such as the nature of the soul and the existence of God.
During the 13th century, a knight named Lether von Schwarzenberg fought in the Crusades and was reportedly present at the Siege of Acre in 1291. Although little is known about his life, his name appears in several contemporary chronicles of the Crusades.
In the 15th century, a Dutch artist named Lether van Leiden gained recognition for his intricate woodcarvings and altarpieces. Born around 1420 in the city of Leiden, his most famous work is the ornately carved pulpit in the Church of St. Peter in Leiden, which he completed in 1472.
Another notable figure with the name Lether was a 16th-century German theologian and philosopher named Lether Hausmann. Born in Saxony around 1550, Hausmann was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and wrote extensively on topics such as predestination and the nature of faith.
While the name Lether has been relatively uncommon throughout history, these examples illustrate its long-standing presence in various European cultures and contexts, ranging from nobility and military to religion and the arts.
People
Lether + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lether 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
Lether: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lether?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 17 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lether 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 20,162,020 US residents.
Is Lether a common name?
We classify Lether as "Very Rare". It ranks above 37.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 246 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lether most popular?
The single biggest year for Lether was 1916, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lether is about 89 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Lether in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lether a female name?
Yes, 98.0% of people registered as Lether 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 Lether still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lether 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 Lether 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Lether?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.