Declining since 1985, #10,917 for girls today.
Popularity of Lanita since 1913
Babies named Lanita per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 24 |
| 1920s | 81 |
| 1930s | 143 |
| 1940s | 320 |
| 1950s | 616 |
| 1960s | 806 |
| 1970s | 718 |
| 1980s | 513 |
| 1990s | 226 |
| 2000s | 141 |
| 2010s | 89 |
| 2020s | 44 |
Meaning & origin
Lanita is a rare, coined name with a mid-20th-century peak. It first appeared in records in 1913, reached its highest rank of 10,917 in 1958, and has been steadily falling out of favor since 1985. In the most recent data (2025), it had an estimated birth rate of about 1 in 200,908, making it an uncommon choice. The name is likely a modern invention, combining the prefix Lan- with the Spanish diminutive -ita, reflecting a trend in the 1930s-1950s for feminine names ending in -ita. Lanita never ranked among the top 1,000 names and saw no concentration in any particular state.
Lanita likely emerged as a coined name in the early 20th century, combining the fashionable prefix Lan- (seen in names like Lanelle) with the Spanish diminutive suffix -ita. It never achieved widespread use and has been in decline since the mid-1980s.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Lani, Nita
Variants: Lanitta, Lanitha
Sibling names for Lanita
Names that share Lanita's style, for a brother or sister.
