From Latin 'laetitia' meaning 'joy, gladness'; a name favored in the Roman and Georgian eras.
Letitia flows directly from the Latin word *laetitia*, meaning 'joy,' 'gladness,' or 'happiness' — one of the great abstract virtues that Roman culture enshrined in naming practices. The Romans regularly named children after desired qualities: Felicia (happy), Victoria (victory), Gratia (grace), and Laetitia all belong to this tradition of aspirational nomenclature. The name entered English usage through the Norman French form Lettice, which was common in medieval England and gave rise to the pet name Letty.
By the Renaissance, the more Latinate Letitia had reasserted itself among educated and aristocratic families who associated Latin with prestige and classical learning. In American history, Letitia Tyler (1790–1842) was the first wife of President John Tyler and, due to illness, the first First Lady to die in the White House — a tragic figure who lent the name a certain historical poignancy. , was one of the most celebrated and controversial literary figures of the early Victorian era, her romantic verse and mysterious death making her a cult figure for decades after.
More recently, Letitia Wright — the Guyanese-British actress who portrayed Shuri in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — has brought the name back into contemporary awareness. Letitia occupies a graceful middle ground between the antique and the timeless. It is formal enough to carry ceremonial weight, but the natural nicknames Letty and Tish give it everyday warmth. Its Latin root means the name literally expresses its own purpose: to name a child Letitia is to name her 'joy' itself.