How popular is the baby name Lastarza in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Lastarza.

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Popularity of the baby name Lastarza


Posts that mention the name Lastarza

Interesting one-hit wonder names in the U.S. baby name data

single flower

They came, they went, and they never came back!

These baby names are one-hit wonders in the U.S. baby name data. That is, they’ve only popped up once, ever, in the entire dataset of U.S. baby names (which accounts for all names given to at least 5 U.S. babies per year since 1880).

There are thousands of one-hit wonders in the dataset, but the names below have interesting stories behind their single appearance, so these are the one-hits I’m writing specific posts about. Just click on a name to read more.

2020s

  • 2020: Jexi

2010s

2000s

1990s

1980s

1970s

1960s

1950s

1940s

1930s

1920s

1910s

1900s

  • (none yet)

1890s

As I discover (and write about) more one-hit wonders in the data, I’ll add the names/links to this page. In the meanwhile, do you have any favorite one-hit wonder baby names?

Image: Adapted from Solitary Poppy by Andy Beecroft under CC BY-SA 2.0.

[Latest update: Apr. 2024]

Where did the baby name Lastarza come from in 1953?

American boxer Roland LaStarza (1927-2009)
Roland LaStarza

The baby name Lastarza debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 1953:

  • 1955: unlisted
  • 1954: unlisted
  • 1953: 6 baby boys named Lastarza
  • 1952: unlisted
  • 1951: unlisted

Where did it come from?

Roland LaStarza, the Bronx-born, Italian-American boxer whose pro career lasted from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. He won 57 out of his 66 professional fights. Two of the fights he did not win were against the legendary Rocky Marciano.

Marciano barely won the 1950 bout, and in the much-hyped 1953 rematch — with the World Heavyweight title up for grabs — LaStarza won four of the first six rounds. Marciano had started off “overeager and awkward,” at one point swinging “so wildly that he missed and slipped clumsily to the canvas.” But “[i]n the seventh, Marciano changed his tactics, started aiming at LaStarza’s body as well as his head in an attempt to wear the challenger down. He succeeded.” Marciano won by technical knockout in the 11th round. The match was declared Fight of the Year by boxing magazine The Ring.

(Usage of the baby name Marciano also saw an uptick in 1953.)

After retirement, Roland LaStarza made guest appearances on several TV shows including 77 Sunset Strip, Perry Mason, and Batman. His surname never reappeared in the baby name data, though, making it a true one-hit wonder.

Source: “A Champ Too Tough For Anyone Around.” Life 5 Oct. 1953: 32-33.
Image: Screenshot of Roland LaStarza from the LaStarza vs. Cockell match (1954)