Home › Baby Names Directory › Loretto
Loretto
How to Pronounce Loretto
Pronounced luh-RET-oh /ləˈrɛt.oʊ/High
Meaning: Loretto is a variant of Loretta and Loreto. Loreto is a famous Italian Marian shrine (the Holy House of Loreto), and Loretta developed as a given name from Lauretta, a diminutive of Laura, from Latin for the laurel tree. The '-o' ending here reflects the Italian place-name form.Medium
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Loretto reflects Loreto, the Italian shrine town, and Loretta, which grew from Lauretta (a pet form of Laura, from Latin for laurel). Carried by Catholic devotion to Our Lady of Loreto, the name entered American use in the early twentieth century, with spellings varying between the '-a' and '-o' endings.
It was always uncommon, cresting around 1915 with only a couple dozen girls a year and fading by the 1960s. A woman named Loretto then is now of a great-grandparent generation; the name reads as devout, Italian-inflected vintage, a rarer cousin of the once-fashionable Loretta.
Variations
Nicknames
Famous Bearers
- Famous bearers coming soon.
If you like Loretto…
Explore names like Loretto
Frequently Asked
What does the name Loretto mean?
Loretto is a variant of Loretta/Loreto, tied to the Italian shrine of Loreto and to Laura (laurel).
How do you pronounce Loretto?
It's said luh-RET-oh /ləˈrɛt.oʊ/, three syllables.
Is Loretto a boy or girl name?
Loretto is used as a girl's name.
How popular is Loretto?
Loretto has always been uncommon, an early-century Catholic vintage name.