Litsa
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "beauty" or "prayer".
Name Census estimates that about 17 living Americans carry the first name Litsa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Litsa today is around 61 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Litsa births was 1977 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Litsa. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Litsa. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
17
~ 1 in 20,162,020 Americans
Peak year
1977
6 babies that year
Average age
61
years old
1977 SSA rank
#9,125
Tracked since 1958
Census
Litsa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 181 people with the first name Litsa, which placed it at #40,888 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
#40,888
National first-name rank
People counted
181
181 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
86.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Litsa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Litsa is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Black (2.2%). 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 Litsa 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 Litsa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 157
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 15
- Black or African American2.2% · 4
- Two or more races1.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 2
Popularity
Litsa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Litsa from the 1950s through to the 1970s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 10 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1960s peak, Litsa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Litsa 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 Litsa 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 Litsa
The name Litsa originates from the Greek language and culture, with its roots dating back to ancient times. It is a diminutive form of the Greek name Eleftheria, which means "freedom" or "liberty." The name Litsa likely came into use as a nickname or shortened version of Eleftheria, reflecting the enduring spirit of freedom that has been central to Greek culture throughout its history.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Litsa can be found in the works of the renowned Greek poet and playwright Aristophanes, who lived in the 5th century BCE. In his comedic plays, Aristophanes often incorporated satirical references to contemporary Athenian society, including the use of nicknames and diminutive forms of names.
During the Byzantine era, which spanned from the 4th to the 15th century CE, the name Litsa gained further prominence. It was used by several notable figures, including Litsa Palaiologina, a member of the imperial Palaiologos dynasty that ruled the Byzantine Empire during its final centuries.
In more recent history, the name Litsa has been borne by several influential individuals. Litsa Patera (1900-1981) was a Greek actress and theater director who played a significant role in shaping the modern Greek theater scene. Litsa Trochidou (1928-2022) was a renowned Greek singer and actress, known for her contributions to the rebetiko genre of Greek folk music.
Another notable figure was Litsa Galinou (1913-2008), a Greek writer and political activist who fought against the military junta that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974. Her memoir, "The Rebellion of the Mothers," became an influential work documenting the struggles for democracy during that period.
Beyond Greece, the name Litsa has also been adopted in other cultures, particularly among Greek diaspora communities. For example, Litsa Tsitsera (1919-2008) was a Canadian-Greek artist and sculptor who gained recognition for her works depicting the human form.
Throughout its long history, the name Litsa has remained a symbol of the enduring spirit of freedom and resilience that has been central to Greek culture. Its roots in the ancient language and its presence across various eras and spheres of influence have solidified its place as a name with rich cultural significance.
People
Litsa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Litsa 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
Litsa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Litsa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 17 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Litsa 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 Litsa a common name?
We classify Litsa 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, 21 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Litsa most popular?
The single biggest year for Litsa was 1977, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Litsa is about 61 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Litsa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 181 people with the name Litsa, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #40,888 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 Litsa 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 Litsa?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Litsa leans strongly female. 184 people counted with this name were female (98.4%), compared with 3 male bearers (1.6%). 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 Litsa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Litsa is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Black (2.2%). 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 Litsa most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Litsa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (157 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 Litsa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Litsa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Litsa 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 Litsa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Litsa 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 Litsa 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 Litsa?
See how many Americans are named Litsa on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.