Letty is a short form of Letitia, from the Latin laetitia, which means "joy" or "gladness"; it has also been used for Lettice and Violet. The nickname was common in Victorian England and America and now has the cozy vintage ring of Hattie and Lottie. In the United States Letty has never been in the top 1000; it ranked number 14211 in 2000 and has slowly climbed to number 1386 in 2025, its best position so far.