Loda
A feminine name derived from the Sanskrit word for "moon".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Loda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Loda today is around 91 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Loda births was 1916 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Loda. 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 Loda is about 91 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Lodas were born before 1945.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Loda. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1916
15 babies that year
Average age
91
years old
1941 SSA rank
#4,777
Tracked since 1882
Popularity
Loda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Loda from the 1880s through to the 1940s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 63 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Loda 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 Loda 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 Loda
The name Loda is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that dates back to around the 2nd millennium BCE. It is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "loda," which means "to move" or "to swing." In Hindu mythology, Loda is also the name of a minor deity associated with fertility and procreation.
One of the earliest known mentions of the name Loda can be found in the Atharvaveda, an ancient Vedic text that is believed to have been composed between 1200 BCE and 200 BCE. In this text, Loda is described as a minor deity who is invoked during fertility rituals.
In the 6th century CE, the Indian philosopher and mathematician Aryabhata mentioned the name Loda in his astronomical treatise, the Aryabhatiya. He used the name to refer to a specific astronomical measurement or calculation, although the exact meaning is not entirely clear.
The first recorded person with the name Loda is believed to be Loda Bhatta, an Indian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 8th century CE. He is known for his work on the calculation of planetary positions and the development of mathematical formulas related to astronomy.
Another notable person with the name Loda was Loda Prabhu, a 13th-century Indian saint and devotional poet from Maharashtra. He is revered in the Varkari tradition, a Bhakti movement that emphasizes devotion to the Hindu deity Vithoba.
In the 16th century, there was a Rajput warrior named Loda Bahadur Singh who fought against the Mughal Empire in present-day Rajasthan, India. He is remembered for his bravery and resistance against the Mughal forces.
Loda Nath, a 17th-century Indian philosopher and spiritual teacher, was another prominent figure with this name. He was a proponent of the Nath tradition, a syncretic spiritual movement that combined elements of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Yoga.
Lastly, Loda Ram Gupta was an Indian freedom fighter and revolutionary who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was involved in the Indian independence movement against British colonial rule and was a member of the Ghadar Party, a revolutionary organization based in the United States.
People
Loda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Loda 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
Loda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Loda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Loda 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Loda a common name?
We classify Loda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 166 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Loda most popular?
The single biggest year for Loda was 1916, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Loda is about 91 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 Loda in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Loda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Loda 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 Loda still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Loda 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 Loda 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 Loda?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.