A pet form of Letitia or Lettie, from Latin roots meaning joy or gladness.
Letti is a warm, sparkling diminutive most commonly derived from Letitia or Lettice, Latin names rooted in laetitia, meaning 'joy' or 'happiness.' Letitia was a name beloved in the Roman world and carried forward through early Christian tradition — there is a Saint Letitia venerated in the Catholic calendar. In England, Lettice enjoyed particular favor during the Tudor and Elizabethan eras; Lettice Knollys, the beautiful and politically controversial noblewoman who secretly married Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, is perhaps the most famous historical bearer, her life a tangle of court intrigue and royal rivalry.
The shortened form Letti (sometimes spelled Letty or Lettie) emerged as an affectionate nickname and eventually as a standalone name. In the Victorian and Edwardian periods, Letty was a common familiar form — light, cheerful, easy to say — that suited the era's taste for sweet, compact feminine names. It appears in literature of the period as a character name conveying gentleness and good humor.
The name largely faded through the mid-twentieth century as tastes shifted toward longer, more formal names. Today Letti is experiencing a quiet renaissance as part of a broader revival of vintage nickname-names — Millie, Elsie, Evie, Hattie — that feel simultaneously retro and fresh. It carries the energy of a name that has been loved across generations without ever becoming overexposed. Its brevity and its joyful etymology make it an appealing choice for parents who want something distinctive, historically grounded, and genuinely cheerful in meaning.