Libra
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "weight" or "balance".
Name Census estimates that about 197 living Americans carry the first name Libra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Libra today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Libra births was 1976 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Libra. 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
197
~ 1 in 1,739,870 Americans
Peak year
1976
33 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
1984 SSA rank
#11,394
Tracked since 1968
Census
Libra in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 243 people with the first name Libra, which placed it at #33,857 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
#33,857
National first-name rank
People counted
243
243 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
55.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Libra
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Libra is Black at 55.6%. The next largest groups are White (27.2%) and Hispanic (11.9%). 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 Libra 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 Libra at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American55.6% · 135
- White27.2% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino11.9% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 5
- Two or more races2.1% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 3
Popularity
Libra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Libra from the 1960s through to the 1980s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 194 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Libra 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 Libra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Libras live
Origin
Meaning and history of Libra
The name Libra has its origins in Latin, derived from the word "libra," which means "scales" or "balance." It is associated with the astrological sign of Libra, represented by the scales of justice.
In ancient Roman culture, the name Libra was closely tied to the concept of balance, harmony, and fairness. The scales were a symbol of equality and justice, reflecting the need for equilibrium in all aspects of life.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Libra can be found in ancient Roman texts and inscriptions. One notable example is the writings of the Roman philosopher Cicero, who lived from 106 BC to 43 BC. He often referenced the concept of "libra" as a metaphor for balance and moderation.
Throughout history, several influential figures have borne the name Libra. One such individual was Libra Hieronymus Munting (1583-1658), a Dutch botanist and physician known for his contributions to the study of plants. Another notable bearer of the name was Libra Porsenna (circa 508 BC), an Etruscan king who ruled over the city of Clusium and played a significant role in the early history of Rome.
In the realm of literature, Libra Baskerville was a fictional character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in his Sherlock Holmes stories. Baskerville was a wealthy landowner whose family was allegedly cursed, adding an intriguing layer of mystery to the name.
The name Libra also has connections to the world of music. Libra Singers was a renowned Australian choir active in the mid-20th century, known for their performances of classical and contemporary works.
Additionally, Libra Carruyo (born 1993) is a Venezuelan model and beauty pageant titleholder who won the Miss International 2018 competition, showcasing the name's enduring appeal in modern times.
While the name Libra has strong roots in ancient Roman culture and astrology, its symbolism of balance and fairness has resonated throughout various eras and across different disciplines, making it a name with a rich and multifaceted history.
People
Libra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Libra 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
Libra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Libra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 197 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Libra 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 1,739,870 US residents.
Is Libra a common name?
We classify Libra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 218 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Libra most popular?
The single biggest year for Libra was 1976, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Libra is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Libra in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 243 people with the name Libra, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #33,857 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 Libra 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 Libra?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Libra leans strongly female. 234 people counted with this name were female (97.9%), compared with 5 male bearers (2.1%). 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 Libra?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Libra is Black at 55.6%. The next largest groups are White (27.2%) and Hispanic (11.9%). 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 Libra most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Libra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.6% (135 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 Libra in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Libra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Libra 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 Libra still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Libra 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 Libra 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 many Americans are named Libra?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.