Loretta
Loretta was the 606th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 485 babies. Its best year was 1938, when it ranked 62nd with 3,913 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 548 places. More babies were named Loretta in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Meaning little Laura; or from Loreto · Italian, Latin
Say it lor-ET-uh /lɔˈrɛtə/
- Rank in 2025
- #606 girls, up 337 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 485girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19383,913 babies
- Total since 1880
- 178,066babies recorded
What does the name Loretta mean?
Loretta is a variant of Lauretta, an Italian diminutive of Laura, or a form of Loreto, according to Wiktionary. Laura itself is of obscure origin, DMNES says, though it is likely related to Laurence and the laurel. Wiktionary gives a pronunciation with the stress on the second syllable, luh-RET-uh. Loretta has been used in the US since 1880 and was most popular in the 1930s.
Lauretta (Italian, “little Laura”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Two possible sources (Laura, or the shrine town of Loreto); Laura's own origin is obscure (DMNES).
Related names: Lauretta, Laura, Lora, Retta.
See also: Italian names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Loretta' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Laura', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nicknames for Loretta
The usual nicknames for Loretta are Etta, Retta and Lori. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Loretta in the last five years, 71 were named Etta, against 27 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Etta · also for Julietta, Henrietta, Rosetta | Traditional | #930 | 1,372 |
| Retta | Traditional | #12,903 | 27 |
| Lori · also for Laura, Lorelai, Lorelei | Traditional | #1,726 | 709 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Lorettas go by each one.
Loretta popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 502 since 1911.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #606 | 485 |
| 2020 | #943 | 272 |
| 2010 | #2,052 | 97 |
| 2000 | #1,859 | 92 |
| 1990 | #922 | 207 |
| 1980 | #494 | 418 |
| 1970 | #231 | 1,365 |
| 1960 | #138 | 3,191 |
| 1950 | #120 | 2,720 |
| 1940 | #69 | 3,502 |
| 1930 | #105 | 2,482 |
| 1920 | #120 | 2,122 |
| 1910 | #124 | 655 |
| 1900 | #121 | 535 |
| 1890 | #156 | 228 |
| 1880 | #243 | 41 |
How popular is Loretta, counting every spelling?
Loretta is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #599 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #606 for Loretta on its own. Together these spellings went to 496 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loretta | 485 | #606 | 1,925 |
| Lauretta | 11 | #9,210 | 59 |
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 Loretta?
485 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Loretta (0.13 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Loretta 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 17 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Loretta.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Loretta?
About 85,000 people born in the US named Loretta are alive today, with a median age of 69; half are between 59 and 78. That makes Loretta a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Loretta by state
How common Loretta was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wisconsin (5.2×), Minnesota (5.0×), Iowa (2.7×), Missouri (2.2×), Kentucky (2.2×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Utah, Louisiana, Massachusetts.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Loretta: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Loretta, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Loretta · Sibling names for Loretta
Questions about the name Loretta
What does Loretta mean?
Loretta is usually explained as “little Laura; or from Loreto”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Loretta?
Loretta was the 606th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 485 babies. Its best year was 1938, when it ranked 62nd with 3,913 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 548 places. More babies were named Loretta in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Is Loretta a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Loretta in the US.
Where is Loretta most popular?
In 2021–2025, Loretta was most common in Wisconsin (1.23 per 1,000 girls), followed by Minnesota and North Dakota.