Lucecita
Little light or small light, a diminutive form of the Spanish word "luz".
Name Census estimates that about 17 living Americans carry the first name Lucecita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lucecita today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lucecita births was 1969 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lucecita. 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 Lucecita. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
17
~ 1 in 20,162,020 Americans
Peak year
1969
8 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
1978 SSA rank
#9,221
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Lucecita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lucecita from the 1960s through to the 1970s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 11 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lucecita 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 Lucecita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lucecitas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Lucecita
Lucecita is a diminutive form of the Spanish name Luz, which means "light" and is derived from the Latin word "lux". It is a name that has its roots in the Spanish-speaking cultures, particularly in Spain and Latin America.
The name Lucecita is believed to have originated during the Middle Ages, when Spanish was heavily influenced by Latin and Arabic languages. The addition of the diminutive suffix "-cita" to the name Luz was a way to express endearment and affection.
In religious contexts, the name Lucecita may have been used as a reference to the light of God or the divine light that illuminates the path of believers. Some scholars suggest that it could have been inspired by biblical references to light, such as "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lucecita can be found in the works of the 16th-century Spanish poet and mystic, St. John of the Cross. He often used the metaphor of light to represent divine illumination and spiritual transformation.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Lucecita. One such person was Lucecita Benitez (1905-1994), a Cuban singer and actress who popularized traditional Cuban music during the mid-20th century. Another was Lucecita Gallegos (1942-2009), a Mexican actress and comedian known for her comedic roles in telenovelas.
In the world of literature, Lucecita Arteaga (1907-1984) was a prominent Ecuadorian poet and essayist who explored themes of love, nature, and social justice in her works. Her poetry collection "Luz en la Sombra" (Light in the Shadow) is considered a seminal work in Ecuadorian literature.
Lucecita Benítez (1923-2008) was a Puerto Rican activist and educator who played a significant role in the fight for Puerto Rican independence and advocated for bilingual education in the United States.
Lastly, Lucecita Martinez (1939-2018) was a Mexican-American artist and sculptor known for her large-scale public art installations that celebrated Mexican culture and heritage.
People
Lucecita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lucecita 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
Lucecita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lucecita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 17 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lucecita 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 Lucecita a common name?
We classify Lucecita 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, 19 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lucecita most popular?
The single biggest year for Lucecita was 1969, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lucecita is about 53 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 Lucecita in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lucecita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lucecita 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 Lucecita still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lucecita 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 Lucecita 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 share the name Lucecita?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.