Lorita
A feminine name of Spanish origin, a variant of Lolita, derived from Dolores meaning "sorrows".
Name Census estimates that about 917 living Americans carry the first name Lorita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lorita today is around 65 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lorita births was 1944 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lorita. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Lorita is about 65 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Loritas were born before 1971.
People living today
917
~ 1 in 373,778 Americans
Peak year
1944
43 babies that year
Average age
65
years old
1992 SSA rank
#12,677
Tracked since 1902
Census
Lorita in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,256 people with the first name Lorita, which placed it at #10,552 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
#10,552
National first-name rank
People counted
1.3K
1,256 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
53.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lorita
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lorita is White at 53.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.9%). 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 Lorita 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 Lorita at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.7% · 675
- Black or African American28.4% · 357
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.9% · 87
- Two or more races4.1% · 51
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.3% · 41
Popularity
Lorita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lorita from the 1900s through to the 1990s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 332 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lorita 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 Lorita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Loritas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Louisiana, California, Illinois recorded the most babies named Lorita, while Ohio, Missouri, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 35 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lorita
Lorita is a feminine given name with its origins tracing back to the Latin language. The name is derived from the root word "laurus," which means "laurel" in Latin. The laurel tree held great significance in ancient Roman culture, as its leaves were used to create wreaths worn by victors, poets, and scholars as symbols of honor and achievement.
In ancient times, the name Lorita was likely a diminutive form of the Latin name Laurentia or Lauretta, both of which are directly related to the word "laurus." The earliest recorded use of the name Lorita dates back to the Middle Ages, particularly in regions of Italy and Spain, where Latin influences were strong.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Lorita was Lorita de la Cerda y Aragón (1292-1360), a Spanish noblewoman and the Lady of Lara. She was known for her involvement in the political intrigues and power struggles of 14th-century Castile.
Another famous Lorita from history was Lorita Alavez (1510-1588), a Spanish mystic and writer who lived during the Renaissance period. She authored several works on spiritual matters and was renowned for her pious devotion to the Catholic faith.
In the 17th century, Lorita Cannavina (1624-1698) was an Italian painter and engraver from Bologna. She was a member of the prestigious Accademia Clementina and renowned for her skillful portraiture and religious works.
Moving forward to the 19th century, Lorita Ledesma (1845-1923) was a Mexican educator and advocate for women's rights. She founded one of the first schools for girls in her native Guadalajara and worked tirelessly to promote women's education and empowerment.
Lastly, Lorita Marsh (1890-1977) was an American actress and singer who gained fame on the vaudeville circuit in the early 20th century. She was known for her comedic talents and appeared in several Broadway productions during her career.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have carried the name Lorita, a name with deep roots in Latin language and culture, symbolizing honor, achievement, and the laurel wreath of victory.
People
Lorita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lorita 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
Lorita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lorita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 917 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lorita 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 373,778 US residents.
Is Lorita a common name?
We classify Lorita as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,748 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lorita most popular?
The single biggest year for Lorita was 1944, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lorita is about 65 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lorita in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,256 people with the name Lorita, or 0.42 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #10,552 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 Lorita 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 Lorita?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lorita appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,242 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Lorita?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lorita is White at 53.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.9%). 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 Lorita most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Lorita in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.7% (675 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 Lorita in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lorita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lorita 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 Lorita still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lorita 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 Lorita 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 common is the name Lorita?
See how many people share the name Lorita on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.