Laterria
A rare modern feminine name derived from the Latin word "terra", meaning earth.
Name Census estimates that about 196 living Americans carry the first name Laterria. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Laterria today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Laterria births was 1993 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Laterria. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
196
~ 1 in 1,748,747 Americans
Peak year
1993
18 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2007 SSA rank
#19,242
Tracked since 1977
Census
Laterria in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 198 people with the first name Laterria, which placed it at #38,638 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#38,638
National first-name rank
People counted
198
198 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
98.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laterria
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Laterria is Black at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Laterria described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Laterria at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American98.5% · 195
- Two or more races1.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
Popularity
Laterria: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Laterria from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 100 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Laterria remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Laterria by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Laterria during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Laterria
The name Laterria is a unique and intriguing given name with a rich history that spans multiple cultures and time periods. Its origins can be traced back to ancient Latin, where it is believed to be derived from the word "latericia," which means "brick-red" or "terra-cotta." This linguistic connection suggests that the name may have initially been associated with the vibrant hues found in nature and the earth.
In the early centuries of the Common Era, the name Laterria appeared in various Roman texts and inscriptions, often referring to individuals of notable standing or influence. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus, who mentioned a Laterria Secundus, a prominent citizen and landowner during the reign of Emperor Tiberius in the 1st century AD.
As the Roman Empire expanded and its influence spread across Europe, the name Laterria gradually found its way into other languages and cultures. In the 5th century, there are records of a Laterria Agrippina, a noblewoman from the Frankish Kingdom, who played a significant role in the political affairs of her time.
The name Laterria also has ties to the ancient world of literature and poetry. In the 6th century, a poet named Laterria Vergilianus gained recognition for his works, which celebrated the beauty of nature and the changing seasons. His vivid descriptions and metaphorical use of earthy tones and hues may have contributed to the enduring association of the name with the natural world.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Laterria remained in use, although its popularity waxed and waned across different regions. One notable figure from this period was Laterria of Siena, a 13th-century Italian mystic and religious writer whose works on spirituality and contemplation were widely read and influential in her time.
In the Renaissance era, the name experienced a resurgence, particularly in Italy and the surrounding regions. Laterria Boccaccio, a 14th-century Florentine scholar and poet, was celebrated for her contributions to the literary and intellectual circles of her day.
As time progressed, the name Laterria continued to appear sporadically in various historical records and accounts. In the 18th century, Laterria Monteverdi, an Italian composer and musician, left a lasting impact on the world of classical music with her innovative compositions and performances.
While the name Laterria may not be as common today as it once was, its rich history and diverse cultural connections make it a fascinating and meaningful choice for those seeking a name with deep roots and a sense of connection to the natural world and the enduring legacy of human creativity and expression.
People
Laterria + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Laterria as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Laterria: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Laterria?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 196 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Laterria going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,748,747 US residents.
Is Laterria a common name?
We classify Laterria as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 204 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Laterria most popular?
The single biggest year for Laterria was 1993, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Laterria is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Laterria in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 198 people with the name Laterria, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #38,638 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Laterria in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Laterria?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Laterria leans strongly female. 195 people counted with this name were female (98.5%), compared with 3 male bearers (1.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Laterria?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Laterria is Black at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Laterria most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Laterria in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.5% (195 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Laterria in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Laterria a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Laterria in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Laterria still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Laterria in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Laterria can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Laterria?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.