Lolita
A feminine name of Spanish origin meaning "little lady".
Name Census estimates that about 5,722 living Americans carry the first name Lolita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lolita today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lolita births was 1963 (432 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lolita. 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
5.7K
~ 1 in 59,901 Americans
Peak year
1963
432 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,686
Tracked since 1890
Popularity
Lolita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lolita from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 2,496 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lolita 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 Lolita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lolitas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 30 states and territories. Illinois, California, New York recorded the most babies named Lolita, while West Virginia, Kansas, Iowa recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 153 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lolita
The name Lolita originated from the Spanish diminutive form of the name Dolores, which means "sorrows" in Spanish. It was initially used as an affectionate nickname or pet name for girls named Dolores. The name gained popularity in the 19th century, particularly after the publication of Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel "Lolita" in 1955.
In the novel, Lolita is the name of the young protagonist, a 12-year-old girl who becomes the object of desire for the middle-aged narrator, Humbert Humbert. While the novel is a work of fiction, it explored themes of pedophilia and sexual obsession, leading to public outrage and censorship in some countries upon its release.
Despite the controversial nature of the novel, the name Lolita gained popularity as a given name, especially in Spanish-speaking countries. Some notable historical figures named Lolita include Lolita Lebrón (1919-2010), a Puerto Rican nationalist who participated in an attack on the United States House of Representatives in 1954.
Another notable Lolita was Lolita Torres (1960-2002), a Mexican actress and model who appeared in various telenovelas and films. Lolita de la Colina (1903-1990) was a renowned Mexican painter and sculptor, known for her surrealist works.
In the realm of literature, Lolita Chakrabarti is a British playwright and actress, born in 1976, known for her plays such as "Red Velvet" and "Life of Pi." Lolita Dallas (1939-2002) was an American entrepreneur and fashion designer, recognized for her contributions to the lingerie industry.
While the name Lolita has been associated with controversial themes due to Nabokov's novel, it has maintained a presence throughout history, with individuals bearing the name achieving notable accomplishments in various fields.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Lolita
People
Lolita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lolita 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
Lolita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lolita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5,722 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lolita 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 59,901 US residents.
Is Lolita a common name?
We classify Lolita as "Rare". It ranks above 96.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 8,655 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lolita most popular?
The single biggest year for Lolita was 1963, when 432 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lolita is about 55 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lolita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lolita 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.