Given name & surname
Leta
“one who is glad; joyful; loved by all”
Leta is used as a given name and a surname. One Latin interpretation is “one who is glad; joyful; loved by all.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Latin interpretation is “one who is glad; joyful; loved by all.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Leta through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 11,944
- 0 boys · 11,944 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 233 babies
- 2025
- 10
- #9,827 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −37%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 10 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 9,827 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 37.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 233 in 1918. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,621 as a first name in 2020; 305 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Leta’s family of names
Leta has a related form in Lida. Leta has a related form in Lita. Leta has a related form in Loida.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 16
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Leta
- Leta Stetter HollingworthAmerican psychologist1886–1939
- Leta PeerSwiss artist (1964-2012)
- Leta Hong FincherAmerican journalist and writer
- Leta SemadeniSwiss authorborn 1944
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Leta, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Alta
“to be elevated”
>99% girls
Zita
“patron of housewives and servants” · “little rose”
>99% girls
Vita
“life”
>99% girls
Lucile
“one who is illuminated”
>99% girls
Verda
“springlike; one who is young and fresh”
>99% girls
Neva
“from the place covered with snow”
>99% girls
Zona
“a decorative sash; belt”
>99% girls
Almeta
“one who is ambitious” · “resembling a pearl”
>99% girls