Total births
177,564
Girls' name · since 1880
Loretta
177,564 babies named Loretta in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1938. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #677
- among girls today
- 177,564
- born since 1880
- 1930s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
Loretta currently ranks #677 among girls' names in America, with 177,564 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Loretta recorded 177,564 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #677 nationally today, ahead of 96% of girls, peaking in the 1930s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #677 among girls today
- 177,564 born since 1880
- 1930s peak decade
- 96% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Loretta is currently the #677 girls' name in America, more common than 96% of girls - 177,564 born since 1880, peaking in the 1930s.
- #677
- among girls today
- 177,564
- born since 1880
- 1930s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
Loretta vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#677
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 96% of names given to girls today.
1930s
Peak decade
18% of everyone ever named Loretta was born in this single decade.
1938
Single peak year
3,913 babies were named Loretta in 1938 - its busiest year on record.
How Loretta compares
177,564 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Loretta's all-time total is 465x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Loretta | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 177,564 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 3,913 | 48 | 19,840 |
Loretta's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Loretta splits its recorded history at 1953: 35% of all births land in the more recent half, 65% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1880 (41 births) -- compare that against the 1938 peak of 3,913 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Loretta at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1938
Current rank
#677
Active since
1880
Loretta popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1938)
- 3,913
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Loretta popularity over time - boys
502 total births recorded since 1911 (Loretta as boys' name)
Loretta by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1930s was Loretta's strongest decade.
31,537 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Loretta births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,036
1880s
1,036 births
- 1890s 3,382
1890s
3,382 births
- 1900s 5,151
1900s
5,151 births
- 1910s
1910s
14,570 births
- 1920s
1920s
21,071 births
- 1930s
1930s
31,537 births
- 1940s
1940s
30,121 births
- 1950s
1950s
30,394 births
- 1960s
1960s
22,070 births
- 1970s 8,640
1970s
8,640 births
- 1980s 3,279
1980s
3,279 births
- 1990s 1,380
1990s
1,380 births
- 2000s 932
2000s
932 births
- 2010s 1,804
2010s
1,804 births
- 2020s 2,197
2020s
2,197 births
What this shows Peak: 1930s at 31,537 births (18% of all-time use).
How Loretta 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 Loretta's total volume
Loretta vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Loretta by state
Where Loretta concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 16,199 | 9.1% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 13,459 | 7.6% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 12,063 | 6.8% |
| #4 | California | | 9,459 | 5.3% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 9,039 | 5.1% |
| #6 | Texas | | 7,022 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 6,614 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Missouri | | 5,365 | 3.0% |
New York share of Loretta's total US births 9.1%
Even split
16,199 of 177,564 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Loretta appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Loretta? ▼
177,564 babies have been named Loretta since 1880. It currently ranks #677 among girls. The peak year was 1938 with 3,913 births.
When was Loretta most popular? ▼
Loretta was most popular in the 1930s decade with 31,537 total births. The single peak year was 1938.
Where is Loretta most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Loretta are New York (16,199 births), Pennsylvania (13,459 births), Illinois (12,063 births).
How long has the name Loretta been used? ▼
Records for Loretta go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Loretta? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Lori, Lorraine, Lora, Lorena, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Loretta's data
- Loretta's decade-level peak was the 1930s (31,537 total births); usage has since declined to 2,197 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Lorettas (16,199 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York 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 Loretta
Nearby Names Like Loretta
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Loretta
Lori Girl
#1524 341,911 births
Lorraine Girl
#1420 209,910 births
Lora Girl
#3516 52,235 births
Lorena Girl
#1275 44,960 births
Lorene Girl
#5444 39,379 births
Compare Loretta side by side: Loretta vs Lori Loretta vs Lorraine Loretta vs Lora
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Loretta
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. "Loretta: #677 Girls' Name - 177,564 Births, Peak 1938." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/loretta. 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 Loretta 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.