Loa
A name meaning "to rise" or "elevated" in Hawaiian culture.
Name Census estimates that about 356 living Americans carry the first name Loa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Loa today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Loa births was 1924 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Loa. 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
356
~ 1 in 962,793 Americans
Peak year
1924
29 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,276
Tracked since 1894
Popularity
Loa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Loa from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 172 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Loa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Loa 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 Loa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Loas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Utah, California, Ohio recorded the most babies named Loa, while Ohio, California, Utah recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 20 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Loa
The name Loa has its origins in the Polynesian language and culture, tracing back to ancient times. In Hawaiian, the word "loa" means "long" or "enduring," suggesting a connection to longevity or something that lasts. This name could have been given to individuals who were perceived as having a long life ahead of them or as a symbol of endurance and resilience.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Loa comes from Hawaiian mythology, where it was associated with a powerful god of fertility, rain, and agriculture. According to legends, Loa was a significant figure in the creation stories of the Hawaiian islands and was deeply revered by ancient Hawaiians.
Historically, the name Loa has been used by several notable individuals. One such person was Loa Kamehameha, a Hawaiian princess and member of the Kamehameha dynasty, who lived in the early 19th century. She played a crucial role in preserving Hawaiian culture and traditions during a time of significant change and western influence.
Another notable figure was Loa Pelekai, a Hawaiian scholar and historian who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He dedicated his life to documenting and preserving Hawaiian language, customs, and traditions, contributing significantly to the preservation of Hawaiian cultural heritage.
In literature, the name Loa was used by the renowned Hawaiian author John Dominis Holt in his novel "Loa, the Untamed." Published in 1918, the book explores the life of a Hawaiian woman named Loa and offers insights into the traditional Hawaiian way of life during the early 20th century.
Outside of Hawaii, the name Loa has also been used by individuals from other Polynesian cultures. One example is Loa Tuitahi, a Tongan chief and warrior who lived in the late 18th century and played a significant role in the historical events of the Tongan archipelago.
While the name Loa may not be as widely used today as it once was, it remains a significant part of Polynesian cultural heritage and continues to carry the connotations of endurance, resilience, and connection to nature that were embedded in its ancient origins.
People
Loa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Loa 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
Loa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Loa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 356 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Loa 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 962,793 US residents.
Is Loa a common name?
We classify Loa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 887 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Loa most popular?
The single biggest year for Loa was 1924, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Loa is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Loa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Loa 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.
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.