Loretta is a female

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

, the masculine version being Lauro. The name is a diminutive form of Lora, itself a form of Laura, which refers to the

laurel Laurel may refer to: Plants * Lauraceae, the laurel family * Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel People * Laurel (given name), people with the given name * Laurel (surname), people with the surname * Laurel (mus ...

tree, a symbol of victory. This name is Italian in origin; it was popularized in the United States in the 1930s. It has many variant forms, including Laura,

Lora LoRa (from "long range", sometimes abbreviated as "LR") is a physical proprietary radio communication technique. It is based on spread spectrum modulation techniques derived from chirp spread spectrum (CSS) technology. It was developed by Cycleo ...

Loreen Lorine Zineb Nora Talhaoui (born 16 October 1983), known professionally as Loreen (), is a Swedish singer and songwriter. Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, Representing Sweden, she won the Eurovision Song Contest in Eurovision Song Conte ...

Lorene ''Lorene'' is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Lorene Cary (born 1957), American author, educator, and social Activism, activist *Lorene T. Coates, Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly *Lorene Mann (1937–20 ...

, Lorinda/Laurinda (English), Lauretta, Loreta, and Loreto (Italian).

People with this name

* Loretta Bradley (born 1933), American professor * Loretta de Braose, Countess of Leicester, (c. 1185-c. 1266) *

Loretta Carter Hanes Loretta Carter Hanes (May 9, 1926 – August 21, 2016) was an American educator and activist based in Washington, D.C., known for her leadership with Reading is Fundamental and for reviving the celebration of D.C. Emancipation Day. Early life ...

(1926–2016), American educator, activist *

Loretta Chase Loretta Chase, née Loretta Lynda Chekani (born 1949) is an American writer of romance novels since 1987. Early life and education Loretta Lynda Chekani was born in 1949 in a family of Albanian origin. She studied at New England public schools b ...

(born Loretta Lynda Chekani, 1949), American writer * Loretta Chen (born 1976), Singaporean theatre director and actor *

Loretta Claiborne Loretta Claiborne is an American global speaker and multi-sport athlete who competes in the Special Olympics. She has been honored with the 1996 Arthur Ashe ESPY Courage Award presented to her by Denzel Washington. Claiborne was the first Specia ...

, American global speaker who competes in the Special Olympics *

Loretta Devine Loretta Devine (born August 21, 1949) is an American actress. She is known for numerous roles across stage and screen. Her most high profile roles include Lorrell Robinson in the original Broadway production of ''Dreamgirls'' (1981), Gloria Mat ...

(born 1949), American actress *

Loretta Doyle Loretta Doyle (also known by her married name Cusack, born 12 July 1963) is a Scottish judoka who won the under-52 kg event at the 1982 World Championships, and the under-56 kg event at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. Doyle also won the ...

(born 1963), British judoka *

Loretta Goggi Loretta Goggi (; born 29 September 1950) is an Italian singer, actress, and television presenter. Goggi's records have sometimes entered the Italian pop charts. She was the first runner-up at the 1981 Sanremo Festival with the song " Maledetta ...

(born 1950), Italian singer, actress, television host, and dancer * Loretta King Hadler (1917–2007), American actress *

Loretta Harrop Loretta "Loz" Harrop (born 17 July 1975, in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian triathlete. As a teenager she attended Cavendish Road State High School along with her siblings and as of 2007 has a house named after her. Harr ...

(born 1975), Australian triathlete *

Loretta Huber Loretta Huber was a World Series of Poker The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada, and since 2004, sponsored by Eldorado Resorts, Caesars Entertainment. It dates its origins to 19 ...

, American poker player, World Series of Poker champion 1988 *

Loretta Jafelice Loretta Jafelice is a Canadian voice actress. She voiced Eugeal, Diana, and many supporting and monster characters in both the DIC Entertainment and Cloverway Inc. versions of the Japanese anime ''Sailor Moon''. She also played Susan in Seaso ...

, American voice actress *

Loretta Kelley Loretta A. Kelley is an American Hardanger fiddle player. She is President of The Hardanger Fiddle Association of America, and is described by her recording company as the foremost Hardanger fiddle player in the U.S. Recently , there has been a ...

, American fiddle player *

Loretta Long Loretta Mae Long ( Moore; born October 4, 1938) is an American actress. She played the character of Susan Robinson on ''Sesame Street'' from 1969 to 2016. Long is also a consultant and public speaker on issues of multiculturalism and education ...

(born 1940), American actress *

Loretta Lux Loretta Lux (born 1969) is a fine art photographer known for her surreal portraits of young children. She lives and works in Ireland. Life and work Lux was born in Dresden, East Germany. She graduated from the Academy of Visual Arts in Munich ...

(born 1969), German fine art photographer working in Ireland *

Loretta Lynch Loretta Elizabeth Lynch (born May 21, 1959) is an American attorney who served as the 83rd attorney general of the United States from 2015 to 2017. She was appointed by President Barack Obama to succeed Eric Holder and previously served as the ...

(born 1959), Attorney General of the United States *

Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "Hey Loretta", "The Pill (song), The P ...

(born Loretta Webb; 1932–2022), American singer-songwriter *

Loretta McNeil Loretta T. McNeil (January 10, 1907 – February 24, 1988) was an American athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres. She competed for the United States in the 1928 Summer Olympics held in Amsterdam, Netherlands , Terminolo ...

(1907–1988), American athlete *

Loretta Nall Loretta Nall is the founder of the U.S. Marijuana Party, which calls for the legalization of cannabis. She was a write-in candidate for governor of Alabama in 2006. History Nall founded the USMjParty in 2002. In 2005, she co-founded Alabamian ...

, founder of the United States Marijuana Party *

Loretta Napoleoni Loretta Napoleoni (born 1955) is an Italian journalist and political analyst. She reports on the financing of terrorism, connected finance, and security related topics. Early life and education Napoleoni was born in Rome in 1955. She studied ...

(born 1955), Italian economist * Loretta A. Preska (born 1949), American judge * Marion Loretta Reid (1929–2023), Canadian politician *

Loretta Sanchez Loretta Lorna Sanchez (born January 7, 1960) is an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1997 to 2017, representing parts of central Orange County, California. A member of the Democratic Party, she was ...

(born 1960), U.S. Representative * Loretta Ables Sayre (born 1958), American actress and singer *

Loretta Schafer Sister Loretta Schafer, S.P., (April 17, 1917 – February 19, 1998) was the Superior General of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, from 1976 to 1981. In 1977, she worked with the United States Department of Housing an ...

(1917–1998), American nun * Loretta Schrijver (1956–2025), Dutch television host * Loretta Schwartz-Nobel, American journalist * Loretta Spencer, American politician, former mayor of Huntsville, Alabama *

Loretta Swit Loretta Jane Swit (born Loretta Jane Szwed; November 4, 1937 – May 30, 2025) was an American stage and television actress. She was widely known for her character roles, especially her role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on '' M*A*S*H' ...

(1937–2025), American actress * Loretta Tofani (born 1953), American journalist *

Loretta Clemens Tupper Loretta Nellie Clemens Tupper (May 6, 1906 – September 17, 1990) was an American singer, pianist and vaudevillian and radio actress., who later added television and film appearances to her impressive repertoire. In her early career she was kno ...

(1906–1990), American singer * Loretta Ucelli, American management advisor who served as Assistant to the President and Director of White House *

Loretta Perfectus Walsh Loretta Perfectus Walsh (April 22, 1896 – August 6, 1925) was the first American woman to officially serve in the United States Armed Forces in a non-nursing capacity. She joined the United States Naval Reserve on March 17, 1917, and subs ...

(1896–1925), first American active-duty Navy woman *

Loretta Weinberg Loretta Weinberg (born February 6, 1935) is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as a member of the New Jersey Senate from 2005-2022, where she represented the 37th Legislative District. She also served as Senate Majority Leader ...

(born 1935), American politician * Loretta Yang, performing artist in the Taiwan cinema *

Loretta Young Loretta Young (born Gretchen Michaela Young; January 6, 1913 – August 12, 2000) was an American actress. Starting as a child, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1989. She received numerous honors including an Academy Awards ...

(1913–2000), American actress

Fictional characters

Loretta Loretta is a female given name, the masculine version being Lauro. The name is a diminutive form of Lora, itself a form of Laura, which refers to the laurel tree, a symbol of victory. This name is Italian in origin; it was popularized in the Unite ...

, formerly Stan, in the film ''Monty Python's Life of Brian'' * Loretta Brown in the American animated show ''Family Guy'' *

Loretta Callisto ''Miles from Tomorrowland'', also known as ''Miles from Tomorrow'' internationally, is an American CGI-animated children's television series created by Sascha Paladino. It aired as shorts from January 19 to 23, before officially premiering on Fe ...

in the American animated show ''Miles from Tomorrowland'' *Loretta Castorini, the main character in the film

Moonstruck ''Moonstruck'' is a 1987 American romantic comedy film directed by Norman Jewison and written by John Patrick Shanley. It stars Cher as a widowed Italian-American woman who falls in love with her fiancé's hot-tempered, estranged younger broth ...

, played by

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

* Loretta Jones in the British soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' *

Loretta Tortelli This is a list of characters from the American television sitcom, ''Cheers''. Original main characters Before the ''Cheers'' pilot, " Give Me a Ring Sometime", was finalized and then aired in 1982, the series originally consisted of four empl ...

in the American television show ''Cheers'' * Loretta Wade in the American television show ''NCIS: New Orleans'' *Loretta is a boss in the video game Elden Ring, also referred to as Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree *Loretta mother of Wade Watson in the novel “Ready Player One” by Earnest Cline *Loretta Durkin in the American television show ''Only Murders in the Building''

References

{{given name, Loretta English feminine given names Italian feminine given names Feminine given names

People with this name

Fictional characters

See also

References