Lavada
Feminine
Lavada belongs to a group of nineteenth-century American names that used the La- prefix long before the tradition it is now associated with existed. Lavada, Lavina, Lavena, Lavonia and Laverna all appear in the eighteen-hundreds, and the second half of this one cannot be traced to anything.
How old is the name Lavada?
Lavada first appears in US birth records in 1881 — 144 years ago. The typical Lavada alive today was born around 1934, making them about 91 years old. About 1,700 people named Lavada are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Lavada most popular?
Lavada peaked in 1907, reaching #588 nationally. See the whole 1907 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Lavada
The La- names of the nineteenth century are a genuinely under-described group. They appear across American records from the eighteen-eighties, they cluster in particular regions and communities, and they use the same prefix that would become far more productive in a different community a century later. Whether the two traditions are connected is not settled and is worth not guessing about. What is clear is that the prefix has been available in American naming for a great deal longer than it is usually credited with.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No origin can be established. The La- prefix carries no meaning of its own. The -vada element has no source in any language that would plausibly have supplied it — a Spanish word for a ford has been proposed and does not fit the pattern of the group, and Nevada as a clipping requires a step nobody can motivate. The honest position is that the name was built from a prefix and a syllable and means nothing.
Pronouncing Lavada
luh-VAY-duh
luh-VAY-duh, three syllables, stress in the middle. Some say luh-VAH-duh with an open middle vowel, and both are heard. The spelling settles neither, so the household does.
Nicknames for Lavada
Moderate
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
- 1881
- Most girls named
- 1921111 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #588reached in 1907
- Change vs 2020
- −16.7%5 in 2024, 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.
Lavadas among us
people named Lavada 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
Lavada 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
- Vada works as a short form and is a standing name of the same period.
- Three syllables with a clear middle stress, which balances a short surname.
- Every letter behaves as an English reader expects.
- The middle vowel is read two ways and the spelling does not decide.
- There is no documented meaning at all, which is worth deciding how to talk about in advance.
- The name belongs firmly to an earlier American century and has not returned.
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Lavada
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Lavadas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,700 people named Lavada are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Lavada in 2025?
- Lavada is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Lavada with classmates?
- Lavada 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 Lavada? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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