Loretta
Loretta was given to 485 girls in 2025, #606 among girls’ names; 178,066 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 85,400 Americans named Loretta and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (48% of everyone recorded); the median is 69 years old and half are between 59 and 78.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Loretta by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Loretta mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Loretta is “a female given name from Latin, variant of Lauretta, Italian diminutive of Laura; or a form of Loreto.”
/ˌləˈɹɛtə/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Loretta?
#606 among girls’ names, 2025
Loretta rose from #1,154 in 2015 to #606 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 0.12 to 0.30 per 1,000.
3,931 babies in 1938, the peak
Loretta peaked in 1938, when 3,931 babies were given it (3,913 girls, #62 among girls’ names). The 485 births of 2025 are 12% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 485 | #606 | 0.30 |
| 2024 | 423 | #677 | 0.26 |
| 2023 | 371 | #757 | 0.23 |
| 2022 | 346 | #810 | 0.21 |
| 2021 | 300 | #902 | 0.18 |
| 2020 | 272 | #943 | 0.17 |
| 2019 | 252 | #1,023 | 0.15 |
| 2018 | 232 | #1,087 | 0.14 |
| 2017 | 229 | #1,103 | 0.13 |
| 2016 | 240 | #1,085 | 0.14 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 219 | #1,154 | 0.12 |
| 2014 | 179 | #1,324 | 0.10 |
| 2013 | 121 | #1,720 | 0.07 |
| 2012 | 124 | #1,695 | 0.07 |
| 2011 | 111 | #1,824 | 0.06 |
| 2010 | 97 | #2,052 | 0.05 |
| 2009 | 84 | #2,328 | 0.05 |
| 2008 | 112 | #1,896 | 0.06 |
| 2007 | 105 | #1,963 | 0.05 |
| 2006 | 113 | #1,818 | 0.06 |
| 2005 | 103 | #1,886 | 0.06 |
| 2004 | 90 | #2,031 | 0.05 |
| 2003 | 80 | #2,177 | 0.04 |
| 2002 | 76 | #2,188 | 0.04 |
| 2001 | 77 | #2,137 | 0.04 |
| 2000 | 92 | #1,855 | 0.05 |
| 1999 | 102 | #1,638 | 0.06 |
| 1998 | 102 | #1,601 | 0.06 |
| 1997 | 109 | #1,499 | 0.06 |
| 1996 | 139 | #1,258 | 0.08 |
| 1995 | 124 | #1,331 | 0.07 |
| 1994 | 135 | #1,265 | 0.08 |
| 1993 | 137 | #1,254 | 0.08 |
| 1992 | 141 | #1,237 | 0.08 |
| 1991 | 184 | #1,007 | 0.10 |
| 1990 | 207 | #920 | 0.11 |
| 1989 | 201 | #904 | 0.11 |
| 1988 | 251 | #748 | 0.14 |
| 1987 | 269 | #687 | 0.15 |
| 1986 | 297 | #627 | 0.17 |
| 1985 | 287 | #645 | 0.17 |
| 1984 | 309 | #588 | 0.18 |
| 1983 | 347 | #541 | 0.21 |
| 1982 | 413 | #493 | 0.24 |
| 1981 | 487 | #439 | 0.29 |
| 1980 | 418 | #494 | 0.25 |
| 1979 | 495 | #422 | 0.31 |
| 1978 | 481 | #421 | 0.31 |
| 1977 | 571 | #374 | 0.37 |
| 1976 | 671 | #333 | 0.46 |
| 1975 | 778 | #301 | 0.53 |
| 1974 | 956 | #266 | 0.65 |
| 1973 | 972 | #257 | 0.67 |
| 1972 | 1,047 | #258 | 0.69 |
| 1971 | 1,304 | #228 | 0.78 |
| 1970 | 1,365 | #231 | 0.78 |
| 1969 | 1,541 | #204 | 0.91 |
| 1968 | 1,627 | #194 | 1.0 |
| 1967 | 1,803 | #177 | 1.1 |
| 1966 | 1,899 | #175 | 1.1 |
| 1965 | 1,839 | #185 | 1.0 |
| 1964 | 2,228 | #174 | 1.2 |
| 1963 | 2,507 | #161 | 1.3 |
| 1962 | 2,513 | #160 | 1.3 |
| 1961 | 2,922 | #148 | 1.4 |
| 1960 | 3,191 | #138 | 1.6 |
| 1959 | 3,156 | #136 | 1.6 |
| 1958 | 3,314 | #132 | 1.6 |
| 1957 | 3,350 | #131 | 1.6 |
| 1956 | 3,407 | #126 | 1.7 |
| 1955 | 3,431 | #123 | 1.8 |
| 1954 | 3,245 | #125 | 1.7 |
| 1953 | 2,666 | #137 | 1.4 |
| 1952 | 2,616 | #136 | 1.4 |
| 1951 | 2,489 | #135 | 1.4 |
| 1950 | 2,720 | #120 | 1.6 |
| 1949 | 2,776 | #117 | 1.6 |
| 1948 | 2,868 | #115 | 1.7 |
| 1947 | 3,001 | #113 | 1.7 |
| 1946 | 2,892 | #111 | 1.8 |
| 1945 | 2,661 | #107 | 2.0 |
| 1944 | 2,746 | #98 | 2.1 |
| 1943 | 3,169 | #89 | 2.3 |
| 1942 | 3,406 | #79 | 2.5 |
| 1941 | 3,100 | #81 | 2.6 |
| 1940 | 3,502 | #69 | 3.1 |
| 1939 | 3,769 | #65 | 3.4 |
| 1938 | 3,913 | #62 | 3.5 |
| 1937 | 3,673 | #63 | 3.5 |
| 1936 | 3,325 | #70 | 3.2 |
| 1935 | 3,365 | #69 | 3.2 |
| 1934 | 2,978 | #83 | 2.9 |
| 1933 | 2,705 | #87 | 2.7 |
| 1932 | 2,746 | #89 | 2.6 |
| 1931 | 2,581 | #96 | 2.4 |
| 1930 | 2,482 | #105 | 2.2 |
| 1929 | 1,939 | #127 | 1.7 |
| 1928 | 1,996 | #123 | 1.7 |
| 1927 | 2,018 | #127 | 1.7 |
| 1926 | 2,108 | #126 | 1.8 |
| 1925 | 2,255 | #122 | 1.9 |
| 1924 | 2,261 | #124 | 1.8 |
| 1923 | 2,143 | #124 | 1.8 |
| 1922 | 2,095 | #125 | 1.7 |
| 1921 | 2,134 | #122 | 1.7 |
| 1920 | 2,122 | #120 | 1.8 |
| 1919 | 2,067 | #118 | 1.8 |
| 1918 | 2,051 | #116 | 1.8 |
| 1917 | 1,970 | #114 | 1.8 |
| 1916 | 1,903 | #113 | 1.8 |
| 1915 | 1,810 | #115 | 1.8 |
| 1914 | 1,323 | #122 | 1.7 |
| 1913 | 1,074 | #118 | 1.7 |
| 1912 | 978 | #119 | 1.8 |
| 1911 | 739 | #118 | 1.8 |
| 1910 | 655 | #124 | 1.7 |
| 1909 | 573 | #123 | 1.7 |
| 1908 | 566 | #119 | 1.7 |
| 1907 | 520 | #127 | 1.6 |
| 1906 | 520 | #121 | 1.8 |
| 1905 | 527 | #121 | 1.8 |
| 1904 | 506 | #116 | 1.8 |
| 1903 | 505 | #114 | 1.9 |
| 1902 | 461 | #124 | 1.7 |
| 1901 | 438 | #118 | 1.8 |
| 1900 | 535 | #121 | 1.8 |
| 1899 | 410 | #121 | 1.8 |
| 1898 | 454 | #118 | 1.8 |
| 1897 | 406 | #123 | 1.7 |
| 1896 | 391 | #122 | 1.6 |
| 1895 | 365 | #126 | 1.6 |
| 1894 | 330 | #131 | 1.5 |
| 1893 | 323 | #133 | 1.5 |
| 1892 | 263 | #153 | 1.2 |
| 1891 | 212 | #159 | 1.1 |
| 1890 | 228 | #156 | 1.2 |
| 1889 | 172 | #170 | 1.0 |
| 1888 | 157 | #178 | 0.88 |
| 1887 | 134 | #174 | 0.92 |
| 1886 | 141 | #165 | 1.0 |
| 1885 | 91 | #198 | 0.68 |
| 1884 | 94 | #188 | 0.73 |
| 1883 | 76 | #197 | 0.68 |
| 1882 | 72 | #195 | 0.67 |
| 1881 | 58 | #199 | 0.63 |
| 1880 | 41 | #243 | 0.45 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Loretta a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Loretta has been given almost only to girls: 502 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Loretta: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Loretta, and how old are they?
85,400 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 48% of the 178,066 Americans ever recorded as Loretta. The median Loretta alive today is 69 years old; half are between 59 and 78.
The 2020 Census counted 91,196 people named Loretta (91,106 women and girls, 90 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 98,728 born in the U.S. The Census count is 8% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 16,900 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 42,900 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 16,300 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 3,810 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 1,560 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 3,650 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Loretta born?
The states with the most babies named Loretta are New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois, with 25% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 16,204 | #964 | 1.1× |
| Pennsylvania | 13,459 | #634 | 1.1× |
| Illinois | 12,063 | #609 | 1.3× |
| California | 9,459 | #991 | 0.9× |
| Ohio | 9,039 | #457 | 1.0× |
| Texas | 7,022 | #695 | 0.7× |
| Michigan | 6,614 | #578 | 0.9× |
| Missouri | 5,365 | #381 | 1.2× |
| New Jersey | 4,928 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| Kentucky | 4,909 | #478 | 1.3× |
Where Loretta is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Loretta is most over-represented in New Mexico: since 1910 it was given 1.6 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Loretta with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 7 names spelled alike, given to 186,032 babies since 1880, Loretta is the most given (96% of them). In 2025 it was given to 485 of their 485 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Loretta
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Loretta and names like it
- Compare Loretta and LorrettaBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1930sLoretta peaked in 1938.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Loretta since 1910.
- The top names of 1938The year the most babies were named Loretta.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Loretta alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with LMost given first.