Latecia
Feminine
Latecia is a name with a Latin shadow. The Roman word laetitia, joy, opened with the vowel pair ae; Spanish kept the e and wrote Leticia, and Latecia, by accident or design, writes the a instead. Said aloud it is la-TEE-sha, with the hush in the ending that all its relatives share.
How old is the name Latecia?
Latecia first appears in US birth records in 1964 — 61 years ago. The typical Latecia alive today was born around 1983, making them about 42 years old. About 500 people named Latecia are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Latecia most popular?
Latecia peaked in 1978, reaching #3098 nationally. See the whole 1978 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Latecia
Latecia stands between a Latin schoolroom and an American one. The Latin word it resembles was written with a doubled vowel, and time wore that pair down to a single e in Spanish and in English alike. Latecia keeps the other half, the a, and in doing so it also takes on the La- that opened so many American names of its day. Whether that a is a nod to the Latin or the La- habit at work, it gives the name an open front syllable and an ending, -cia, that softens into sha exactly as Leticia's does.
Meaningnot established
Not established
If Latecia is Leticia respelled, it carries Leticia's meaning, joy, from the Latin laetitia. If it was built as a La- name on a -tecia ending, it has no dictionary meaning. The record does not say which, so the page leaves the meaning open rather than borrowing one.
Pronouncing Latecia
luh-TEE-shuh
Three syllables, stressed on TEE. The first four letters spell the English word late, and a cold reader may start there, lay-TEE-sha, until corrected.
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1964
- Most girls named
- 198026 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3098reached in 1978
- Change vs 2004
- −16.7%5 in 2005, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Latecias among us
people named Latecia are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Latecia sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Sounds like Leticia, a name long established in Spanish and English.
- The stressed TEE and the sh ending are the familiar parts, so it is easy to hear right.
- Distinctive in writing without sounding unfamiliar.
- The first four letters spell late, and a name that opens on an ordinary word gets read as that word first; expect lay- from some readers and the odd joke from classmates.
- Most people will write Leticia or Latisha on hearing it. Spelling it once, with the a, is usually enough for anyone who needs it right.
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Latecia
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Latecias are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Latecia are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Latecia in 2025?
- Latecia is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Latecia with classmates?
- Latecia will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More L names
The most-given names starting with L, all years combined.
Linda#902 · Lisa#987 · Laura#379 · Lauren#401 · Lillian#57 · Lori#1721 · Louise#514 · Lois#1666
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Latecia? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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