Lettie
Lettie was the 757th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 358 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 184th; the most babies were born in 2025 (358). Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,170 places. More babies were named Lettie in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning joy, gladness (pet form of Letitia) · Latin
Say it LET-ee /ˈlɛti/
- Rank in 2025
- #757 girls, up 708 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 358girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025358 babies
- Total since 1880
- 11,097babies recorded
What does the name Lettie mean?
Lettie is a pet form of Letitia or Lettice, according to Wiktionary. Both come from Latin laetitia, "joy, gladness"; DMNES records Lettice in English documents from the 13th century and notes the short form Lete. Wikipedia adds that Lettie and Letty can also be short for Violet or Colette.
laetitia (Latin, “joy, gladness, delight”)
How sure is this? Probable. Mostly a pet form of Letitia; it can also shorten other names such as Violet.
Related names: Letty, Letitia, Lettice, Leticia.
See also: Latin names, names that mean joy.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Lettie', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Lettice', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wikipedia, 'Letty', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Lettie popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #757 | 358 |
| 2020 | #1,465 | 147 |
| 2010 | #5,344 | 26 |
| 2000 | — | — |
| 1990 | #7,131 | 12 |
| 1980 | #6,142 | 11 |
| 1970 | #3,510 | 18 |
| 1960 | #1,738 | 43 |
| 1950 | #1,119 | 68 |
| 1940 | #825 | 75 |
| 1930 | #628 | 122 |
| 1920 | #581 | 152 |
| 1910 | #393 | 102 |
| 1900 | #272 | 143 |
| 1890 | #254 | 96 |
| 1880 | #195 | 62 |
How popular is Lettie, counting every spelling?
Lettie is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #539 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #757 for Lettie on its own. Together these spellings went to 558 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lettie | 358 | #757 | 1,236 |
| Letty | 158 | #1,386 | 694 |
| Letti | 36 | #4,036 | 244 |
| Leti | — | — | 30 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Lettie?
358 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lettie (0.10 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Lettie born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 23 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Lettie.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Lettie?
About 3,900 people born in the US named Lettie are alive today, with a median age of 12; half are between 4 and 71. That makes Lettie a young name: most people with it are children. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Lettie by state
How common Lettie was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Iowa (5.5×), Minnesota (4.3×), Utah (4.3×), Wisconsin (3.8×), Nebraska (3.6×). In 22 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Lettie: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lettie, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Lettie
What does Lettie mean?
Lettie means “joy, gladness (pet form of Letitia)” (Latin origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Lettie?
Lettie was the 757th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 358 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 184th; the most babies were born in 2025 (358). Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,170 places. More babies were named Lettie in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Lettie a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Lettie in the US.
Where is Lettie most popular?
In 2021–2025, Lettie was most common in South Dakota (1.12 per 1,000 girls), followed by North Dakota and Iowa.