Lettye
A feminine variant of the French name Lætitia, meaning "joy" or "gladness".
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Lettye. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lettye today is around 81 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lettye births was 1924 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lettye. 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 Lettye is about 81 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Lettyes were born before 1955.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Lettye. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1924
6 babies that year
Average age
81
years old
1941 SSA rank
#4,211
Tracked since 1906
Popularity
Lettye: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lettye from the 1900s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 11 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Lettye remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lettye 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 Lettye during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lettye
The name Lettye is an English given name with roots that can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old French name Letitia, which means "joy" or "gladness." The name Letitia itself is a Latinized form of the Late Latin name Laetitia, originating from the Latin word "laetus," meaning "joyful" or "happy."
In the 12th and 13th centuries, the name Letitia was popular among the upper classes in England, particularly after the Norman Conquest of 1066. As the name spread across different regions and dialects, it evolved into various spellings, including Lettye, Lettice, and Lætitia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lettye can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of the Great Survey of England completed in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name appears as a feminine given name, indicating its use during the late 11th century.
Throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period, the name Lettye was relatively uncommon but still held a place among the aristocracy and gentry. One notable figure was Lettye Viscountess Falkland (c. 1572-1612), an English noblewoman and the wife of Sir Henry Cary, 1st Viscount Falkland.
In the 17th century, the name gained some prominence with Lettye Talmash (1621-1707), an English courtier and lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine of Braganza. She was also a close friend and confidante of the famous diarist, Samuel Pepys.
Another historical figure bearing the name was Lettye Hughes (c. 1670-1716), an English actress and playwright who performed on the London stage during the Restoration period. She was known for her roles in works by playwrights such as John Dryden and William Congreve.
In the 18th century, Lettye Hay (1707-1786) was a Scottish aristocrat and the mistress of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1762 to 1763.
The name Lettye has remained relatively rare throughout history, but its unique spelling and connection to the concept of joy and happiness have kept it alive as a distinctive choice for parents seeking uncommon names with a rich heritage.
People
Lettye + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lettye 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
Lettye: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lettye?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lettye 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Lettye a common name?
We classify Lettye as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 27 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lettye most popular?
The single biggest year for Lettye was 1924, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lettye is about 81 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 Lettye in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lettye a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lettye 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 Lettye still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lettye 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 Lettye 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 many people are named Lettye?
Want to know how many Americans are named Lettye? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.