Loretta

Did you know?

A few things about Loretta you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Loretta

Loretta Young

American actress (1913–2000)

Choose Loretta and your child shares a first name with Loretta Young, an American actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Loretta, like who?” Loretta Young's Wikipedia article is available in 68 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Loretta Young on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Studio Publicity, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 3,313 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Loretta, 485 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Loretta would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryLoretta has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Lorettas, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1938, when it ranked #62. Today it's #606, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📈Then vs nowLoretta is 6.0× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 19,724 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 3,313.
• 🚀TrendLoretta has climbed 336 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #606. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedLoretta is most popular in Wisconsin, where it ranks #127, followed by Iowa (#173) and Minnesota (#186). It's in the top 1,000 in 32 states.
• 💬MeaningLoretta is an Italian form of Laura, which means “laurel”. Our records link it to Anglo Saxon, English and Italian roots.

About the name Loretta

Loretta is a girl name of Anglo Saxon, English and Italian origin meaning “laurel”. It has 7 letters and 3 syllables, starting with L and ending in “-tta”. US birth records list Loretta for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1938, when it ranked #62 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #606, with 485 babies.

Origin:Anglo Saxon namesEnglish namesItalian namesLatin namesSpanish names