Total births
11,944
Girls' name · since 1880
Leta
11,944 babies named Leta in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #8947
- among girls today
- 11,944
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 50%
- more common than other girls
11,944 babies have been named Leta since 1880, making it today's #8947 girls' name.
Leta has 11,944 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #8947 as of the latest data, more common than 50% of girls, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #8947 among girls today
- 11,944 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 50% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Leta is currently the #8947 girls' name in America, more common than 50% of girls - 11,944 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #8947
- among girls today
- 11,944
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 50%
- more common than other girls
Leta vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#8947
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 50% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
17% of everyone ever named Leta was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
233 babies were named Leta in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Leta compares
11,944 Top 8% higher than 92% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Leta's all-time total is 31x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Leta | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 11,944 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 233 | 48 | 19,840 |
Leta's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Leta splits its recorded history at 1952: 27% of all births land in the more recent half, 73% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 2009 (6 births) -- compare that against the 1918 peak of 233 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Leta at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1918
Current rank
#8,947
Active since
1880
Leta popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 233
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Leta by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Leta's strongest decade.
2,072 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Leta births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 289
1880s
289 births
- 1890s 666
1890s
666 births
- 1900s
1900s
863 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,663 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,072 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,587 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,332 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,439 births
- 1960s
1960s
864 births
- 1970s 426
1970s
426 births
- 1980s 265
1980s
265 births
- 1990s 156
1990s
156 births
- 2000s 124
2000s
124 births
- 2010s 119
2010s
119 births
- 2020s 79
2020s
79 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 2,072 births (17% of all-time use).
How Leta compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Leta's total volume
Leta vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Leta by state
Where Leta concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 1,338 | 11.2% |
| #2 | Oklahoma | | 721 | 6.0% |
| #3 | Missouri | | 694 | 5.8% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 427 | 3.6% |
| #5 | California | | 410 | 3.4% |
| #6 | Kansas | | 281 | 2.4% |
| #7 | Arkansas | | 248 | 2.1% |
| #8 | New York | | 230 | 1.9% |
Texas share of Leta's total US births 11.2%
Even split
1,338 of 11,944 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 33 reporting states.
Leta appears in 33 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Leta? ▼
11,944 babies have been named Leta since 1880. It currently ranks #8947 among girls. The peak year was 1918 with 233 births.
When was Leta most popular? ▼
Leta was most popular in the 1920s decade with 2,072 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Leta most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Leta are Texas (1,338 births), Oklahoma (721 births), Missouri (694 births).
How long has the name Leta been used? ▼
Records for Leta go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Leta? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Leticia, Letha, Letitia, Lettie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Leta's data
- Leta's decade-level peak was the 1920s (2,072 total births); usage has since declined to 79 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Letas (1,338 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Leta
Nearby Names Like Leta
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Leta
Leticia Girl
#1760 42,984 births
Letha Girl
19,137 births
Letitia Girl
#12165 11,408 births
Lettie Girl
#935 11,097 births
Letty Girl
#1609 4,615 births
Compare Leta side by side: Leta vs Leticia Leta vs Letha Leta vs Letitia
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Leta
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Leta: #8947 Girls' Name - 11,944 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/leta. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Leta draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.