# Loretta

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Loretta
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Loretta.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loretta
> Source revision: 1356069155
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

For other uses, see [Loretta (disambiguation)](/source/Loretta_(disambiguation)).

**Loretta** is a female [given name](/source/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](/source/Laurel_wreath) tree, a symbol of victory. Loretta It is a name given by the Italians of [Ancient Italy](/source/Ancient_Italy) as a way to compliment beautiful girls, which, luckily, Loretta also means Beautiful, Pleasant or Kind Girl or Young Woman. .[1][2]

This name is Italian in origin; it was popularized in the United States in the 1930s. It has many variant forms, including [Laura](/source/Laura_(given_name)), [Lora](/source/Lora_(disambiguation)), [Loreen](/source/Loreen_(disambiguation)), [Lorene](/source/Lorene), [Lorinda/Laurinda](/source/Lorinda_(given_name)) (English), [Lauretta](/source/Lauretta), [Loreta](/source/Loreta_(given_name)), [Loritta](/source/Loritta), and [Loreto](/source/Loreto_(disambiguation)) (Italian).[3]

## People with this name

- [Loretta Bradley](/source/Loretta_Bradley) (born 1933), American professor
- [Loretta de Braose](/source/Loretta_de_Braose), Countess of Leicester, (c. 1185-c. 1266)
- [Loretta Carter Hanes](/source/Loretta_Carter_Hanes) (1926–2016), American educator, activist
- [Loretta Chase](/source/Loretta_Chase) (born Loretta Lynda Chekani, 1949), American writer
- [Loretta Chen](/source/Loretta_Chen) (born 1976), Singaporean theatre director and actor
- [Loretta Claiborne](/source/Loretta_Claiborne), American global speaker who competes in the Special Olympics
- [Loretta Devine](/source/Loretta_Devine) (born 1949), American actress
- [Loretta Doyle](/source/Loretta_Doyle) (born 1963), British judoka
- [Loretta Goggi](/source/Loretta_Goggi) (born 1950), Italian singer, actress, television host, and dancer
- [Loretta King Hadler](/source/Loretta_King_Hadler) (1917–2007), American actress
- [Loretta Harrop](/source/Loretta_Harrop) (born 1975), Australian triathlete
- [Loretta Huber](/source/Loretta_Huber), American poker player, World Series of Poker champion 1988
- [Loretta Kelley](/source/Loretta_Kelley), American fiddle player
- [Loretta Long](/source/Loretta_Long) (born 1940), American actress
- [Loretta Lux](/source/Loretta_Lux) (born 1969), German fine art photographer working in Ireland
- [Loretta Lynch](/source/Loretta_Lynch) (born 1959), Attorney General of the United States
- [Loretta Lynn](/source/Loretta_Lynn) (born Loretta Webb; 1932–2022), American singer-songwriter
- [Loretta McNeil](/source/Loretta_McNeil) (1907–1988), American athlete
- [Loretta Nall](/source/Loretta_Nall), founder of the United States Marijuana Party
- [Loretta Napoleoni](/source/Loretta_Napoleoni) (born 1955), Italian economist
- [Loretta A. Preska](/source/Loretta_A._Preska) (born 1949), American judge
- [Loretta Sanchez](/source/Loretta_Sanchez) (born 1960), U.S. Representative
- [Loretta Ables Sayre](/source/Loretta_Ables_Sayre) (born 1958), American actress and singer
- [Loretta Schafer](/source/Loretta_Schafer) (1917–1998), American nun
- [Loretta Schrijver](/source/Loretta_Schrijver) (1956–2025), Dutch television host
- [Loretta Schwartz-Nobel](/source/Loretta_Schwartz-Nobel), American journalist
- [Loretta Spencer](/source/Loretta_Spencer), American politician, former mayor of Huntsville, Alabama
- [Loretta Swit](/source/Loretta_Swit) (1937–2025), American actress
- [Loretta Tofani](/source/Loretta_Tofani) (born 1953), American journalist
- [Loretta Clemens Tupper](/source/Loretta_Clemens_Tupper) (1906–1990), American singer
- [Loretta Ucelli](/source/Loretta_Ucelli), American management advisor who served as Assistant to the President and Director of White House
- [Loretta Perfectus Walsh](/source/Loretta_Perfectus_Walsh) (1896–1925), first American active-duty Navy woman
- [Loretta Weinberg](/source/Loretta_Weinberg) (born 1935), American politician
- [Loretta Yang](/source/Loretta_Yang), performing artist in the Taiwan cinema
- [Loretta Young](/source/Loretta_Young) (1913–2000), American actress

## Fictional characters

- [Loretta](/source/Monty_Python's_Life_of_Brian#Cast), formerly Stan, in the film *Monty Python's Life of Brian*
- Loretta, a character from the film *[Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?](/source/Who_Is_Killing_the_Great_Chefs_of_Europe%3F)*, portrayed by [Caroline Langrishe](/source/Caroline_Langrishe)
- [Loretta Brown](/source/Loretta_Brown) in the American animated show *Family Guy*
- [Loretta Callisto](/source/Loretta_Callisto) in the American animated show *Miles from Tomorrowland*
- Loretta Castorini, the main character in the film [Moonstruck](/source/Moonstruck), played by [Cher](/source/Cher)
- [Loretta Jones](/source/Loretta_Jones) in the British soap opera *Hollyoaks*
- Loretta Lynn, main character in *[Coal Miner's Daughter](/source/Coal_Miner's_Daughter_(film))*
- [Loretta Tortelli](/source/Loretta_Tortelli) in the American television show *Cheers*
- [Loretta Wade](/source/List_of_NCIS:_New_Orleans_characters#Loretta_Wade) in the American television show *NCIS: New Orleans*
- Loretta, a boss in the video game [Elden Ring](/source/Elden_Ring), also referred to as Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree
- Loretta, mother of Wade Watson in the novel *[Ready Player One](/source/Ready_Player_One)* by Ernest Cline
- Loretta Durkin, a character in the American television show *[Only Murders in the Building](/source/Only_Murders_in_the_Building)*

## See also

- *[Letter to Loretta](/source/Letter_to_Loretta)* (also known as *The Loretta Young Show*), NBC television series
- [Dead Loretta](/source/Dead_Loretta), psychedelic rock band from Newark, Delaware formed in 2004
- [Laurette (given name)](/source/Laurette_(given_name))

## References

1. Charnock, Richard Stephen (1882). *Prænomina*. Ludgate Hill, London: Trübner & Co.

1. ["Loretta"](https://www.sheknows.com/baby-names/name/loretta/). *SheKnows*. 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2021-07-27.

1. ["Loretta"](https://www.behindthename.com/name/loretta). *BehindTheName*. Retrieved 2022-01-16.

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Loretta](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loretta) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loretta?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.