Etta began as a short form of names ending in -etta, such as Henrietta and Loretta, where the Italian ending is a diminutive that simply means "little one". Blues and soul singer Etta James, famous for At Last, gave the name its lasting glamour. Etta ranked number 1082 in 2015, entered the top 1000 in 2020, peaked at number 924 that year and ranks 930th in 2025.