Loretha
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a variation of Loretta.
Name Census estimates that about 917 living Americans carry the first name Loretha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Loretha today is around 66 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Loretha births was 1954 (45 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Loretha. 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 Loretha is about 66 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Lorethas were born before 1970.
People living today
917
~ 1 in 373,778 Americans
Peak year
1954
45 babies that year
Average age
66
years old
1995 SSA rank
#14,789
Tracked since 1910
Popularity
Loretha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Loretha from the 1910s through to the 1990s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 380 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Loretha 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 Loretha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lorethas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Florida, Georgia, Alabama recorded the most babies named Loretha, while Texas, Illinois, Oklahoma recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 42 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Loretha
Loretha is a feminine given name of English origin, derived from the combination of two words: "lore" and "tha". The word "lore" has its roots in Old English, meaning knowledge, tradition, or learning, while "tha" is a suffix commonly used in English names.
The name Loretha can be traced back to the Middle Ages, particularly in England and parts of Europe. It was likely influenced by the growing emphasis on education and the pursuit of knowledge during that time period. The name may have been given to girls with the hope that they would grow to become wise and knowledgeable individuals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Loretha can be found in a 14th-century manuscript from England, where it was mentioned as the name of a local landowner's daughter. However, the name did not gain widespread popularity until the 16th and 17th centuries.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Loretha. One of the earliest was Loretha Whitmore (1520-1589), an English composer and musician who is credited with writing some of the earliest surviving compositions for the lute.
Another prominent figure was Loretha Hastings (1632-1698), a prominent English author and poet who wrote numerous works exploring themes of love, nature, and spirituality. Her most famous work was a collection of poems titled "The Garden of Delights".
In the 18th century, Loretha Broughton (1745-1821) was a notable English philanthropist and activist who dedicated her life to improving the living conditions of the poor and advocating for social reforms.
Moving into the 19th century, Loretha Cartwright (1819-1897) was an American inventor and pioneer in the field of textiles. She is credited with developing one of the first successful power looms, which revolutionized the textile industry.
More recently, Loretha Jones (1926-2002) was an influential African American civil rights activist and educator. She played a significant role in the desegregation of schools in the southern United States and worked tirelessly to promote equal educational opportunities for all children.
While the name Loretha has never been among the most popular names in any particular region or time period, it has maintained a presence throughout history, often associated with individuals who valued knowledge, learning, and intellectual pursuits.
People
Loretha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Loretha 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
Loretha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Loretha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 917 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Loretha 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 373,778 US residents.
Is Loretha a common name?
We classify Loretha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,792 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Loretha most popular?
The single biggest year for Loretha was 1954, when 45 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Loretha is about 66 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Loretha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Loretha 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.