Girl · Latin
Lettice
Say it: LET-iss
Meaning
The English vernacular form of Latin Laetitia 'joy, gladness'.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
A recognised English name from the 12th century, well used in Tudor gentry families, then supplanted by the Latin spelling Letitia.
Its wave through time
Rare in the records
In the United States
- 18 babies given this name since 1922
- At its height in 1922, about 1 in 150,100 girls
- Fewer than 5 babies a year in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Letitia, Lettyce, Leticia
| Latin | Laetitia |
|---|---|
| Spanish | Leticia |
| Italian | Letizia |
| French | Lætitia |
Famous bearers
- Lettice Knollys, Countess of Leicester
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Medieval European charters and records
- Parish baptism registers
- Royal and noble genealogies
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.