Girl · #5,299 in 2026

Loa

Lwa, also called loa, are spirits in the African diasporic religion of Haitian Vodou. They have also been incorporated into some revivalist forms of Louisiana Voodoo. Many of the lwa derive their identities in part from deities venerated in the traditional religions of West Africa, especially those of the Fon and Yoruba.

Current Rank
#5,299
Peak Rank
#1,136 (1924)
Total Babies
933
5-Yr Trend
+89%
1894
First Year
2026
Last Year
1924
Peak Year
#1136
Peak Rank
933
Total Count
77
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Loa

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Lwa, also called loa, are spirits in the African diasporic religion of Haitian Vodou. They have also been incorporated into some revivalist forms of Louisiana Voodoo. Many of the lwa derive their identities in part from deities venerated in the traditional religions of West Africa, especially those of the Fon and Yoruba.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Etymology
Modern linguists trace the etymology of lwa to a family of Yoruba language words which include olúwa (god) and babalawo (diviner or priest). The term lwa is phonetically identical to both a French term for law, loi , and a Haitian Creole term for law, lwa . The early 20th-century writer Jean Price-Mars pondered if the term lwa , used in reference to Vodou spirits, emerged from their popular identification with the laws of the Roman Catholic Church . In the early 21st century, the historian Kate Ramsey agreed that the phonetic similarity between the terms for the law and the Vodou spirits may n
Origin & history
During the closing decades of the 20th century, attempts were made to revive Louisiana Voodoo , often by individuals drawing heavily on Haitian Vodou and Cuban Santería in doing so. Among those drawing on both Vodou lwa and Santería oricha to create a new Voodoo was the African American Miriam Chamani , who established the Voodoo Spiritual Temple in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1990. Another initiate of Haitian Vodou, the Ukrainian-Jewish American Sallie Ann Glassman , launched an alternative group, La Source Ancienne, in the city's Bywater neighborhood. A further Haitian Vodou initiat

The Story of Loa

Loa first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1894, with 8 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1924, when 29 Loas were born — ranking #1,566 that year. As of 2026, Loa ranks #5,299 for baby girls with 24 births, rising sharply (+89% over the past five years). In total, more than 933 Loas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1890s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

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Top 10
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No data

Names that sound like Loa

Phonetically similar names — useful when Loa is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Loa

What does the name Loa mean?
Lwa, also called loa, are spirits in the African diasporic religion of Haitian Vodou. They have also been incorporated into some revivalist forms of Louisiana Voodoo. Many of the lwa derive their identities in part from deities venerated in the traditional religions of West Africa, especially those of the Fon and Yoruba.
How popular is Loa in 2026?
In 2026, Loa ranks #5,299 among girls' names in the U.S., with 24 babies given the name that year.
When was Loa most popular?
Loa reached its peak popularity in 1924, ranking #1,136 that year with 29 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Loa most popular?
Loa has historically been most popular in Utah, Ohio, California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Loa.
Is Loa a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Loa is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Loa?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Loa include Senie, Carrye, Bah. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

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Senie
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Carrye
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Bah
Peak #1136
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Van
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Davie
Peak #1136
👧
Madolyn
Peak #1136
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Ardys
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Dorothey
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About the name Loa

Loa is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1894 and has accumulated 933 births in the dataset. Loa's peak popularity came in 1924 when it ranked #1,136. Use the chart and map above to compare Loa's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.