Fun Facts About the Name Loa
- 904 babies named Loa: U.S. records list 904 babies given the name Loa from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Loa Mean?
Loa is a feminine name of Icelandic origin meaning "golden plover." It is an unaccented form of Icelandic Lóa, which is taken directly from lóa, the Icelandic word for the golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria). The name is literal: it refers to the bird rather than to an abstract quality. The acute accent in Lóa marks the vowel in Icelandic spelling; dropping it in English does not change the name's derivation.
The Icelandic name is unrelated to the Spanish common noun loa ("praise") and to the Vodou term loa for spirits. Those are separate words that happen to share the same letters.
Loa Name History & Origins
Lóa has been used as a female given name in Iceland, where it belongs to the traditional stock of names taken from birds and other natural features. Its use is tied to Icelandic naming practice rather than to a saint's cult or a biblical figure. The unaccented spelling Loa appears in English-language contexts as a simplified rendering of the Icelandic form.
The name's history is therefore mainly a matter of Icelandic vocabulary and naming custom: the bird word became a personal name, and the accented Icelandic spelling remains standard in Iceland. The similar-looking Vodou term is a different word and is not the source of the personal name.
How Popular is the Name Loa?
Loa has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1924. Its best rank was #1,194 in 1894.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #6,714 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 2024 | #6,276 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 2023 | #5,485 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 2022 | #6,117 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2021 | #6,869 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2020 | #9,980 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #9,477 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #10,253 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #11,233 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #13,754 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #13,878 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #10,606 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2013 | #10,695 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2012 | #8,929 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2011 | #12,886 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #16,157 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #13,308 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #18,882 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1963 | #7,178 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #4,407 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1960 | #4,632 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1959 | #5,946 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #5,191 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1957 | #4,741 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1956 | #6,484 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1955 | #4,244 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1954 | #4,149 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1953 | #3,380 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1952 | #3,686 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1951 | #3,624 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1950 | #4,160 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1949 | #3,770 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1948 | #2,778 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1947 | #2,989 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1946 | #4,241 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1945 | #2,684 | 12 | 0.0009% |
| 1944 | #3,265 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1943 | #2,198 | 17 | 0.0012% |
| 1942 | #2,268 | 16 | 0.0012% |
| 1941 | #3,153 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1940 | #2,252 | 14 | 0.0012% |
| 1939 | #1,660 | 22 | 0.0020% |
| 1938 | #1,733 | 21 | 0.0019% |
| 1937 | #2,145 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1936 | #1,535 | 24 | 0.0023% |
| 1935 | #2,255 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1934 | #2,049 | 16 | 0.0015% |
| 1933 | #1,810 | 19 | 0.0019% |
| 1932 | #2,955 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1931 | #2,372 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1930 | #2,967 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1929 | #2,141 | 16 | 0.0014% |
| 1928 | #2,149 | 17 | 0.0015% |
| 1927 | #2,975 | 11 | 0.0009% |
| 1926 | #2,213 | 17 | 0.0014% |
| 1925 | #1,977 | 20 | 0.0016% |
| 1924 | #1,586 | 29 | 0.0023% |
| 1923 | #2,832 | 12 | 0.0010% |
| 1922 | #2,438 | 15 | 0.0012% |
| 1921 | #2,715 | 13 | 0.0011% |
| 1920 | #1,860 | 22 | 0.0018% |
| 1919 | #2,583 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1918 | #2,160 | 17 | 0.0015% |
| 1917 | #1,877 | 19 | 0.0018% |
| 1916 | #2,582 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1915 | #3,021 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1914 | #2,771 | 8 | 0.0011% |
| 1913 | #3,038 | 6 | 0.0010% |
| 1912 | #3,227 | 5 | 0.0009% |
| 1911 | #1,878 | 8 | 0.0019% |
| 1909 | #2,390 | 5 | 0.0014% |
| 1904 | #2,036 | 5 | 0.0018% |
| 1900 | #2,093 | 5 | 0.0017% |
| 1899 | #1,739 | 5 | 0.0021% |
| 1897 | #1,683 | 5 | 0.0021% |
| 1894 | #1,194 | 8 | 0.0036% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Loa Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You always bring to completion anything you start. You are generous but like to see returns from your giving. You have an executive ability, you are a leader. You are moral, balanced, honest and intellectual, and you may attain spirituality. You are wise and practical with an appreciation of beauty. You always think before you act. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Loa's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Loa's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.