Amelita
A feminine name derived from the Germanic word "amal", meaning "hard-working" or "industrious".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Amelita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Amelita today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Amelita births was 1924 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Amelita. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Amelita. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1924
10 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
1981 SSA rank
#10,482
Tracked since 1919
Popularity
Amelita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Amelita from the 1910s through to the 1980s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 46 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Amelita by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Amelita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Amelita
The given name Amelita is of Spanish origin, derived from the Latin name Amelia, which itself stems from the Germanic root 'amal' meaning 'work'. It emerged during the Medieval period in parts of the Iberian Peninsula that were under Moorish rule.
The earliest known recorded use of the name Amelita dates back to the 12th century, where it appeared in official documents from the Kingdom of Valencia. It was a relatively uncommon name during this era, primarily used among the nobility and upper classes.
One of the earliest notable figures with the name Amelita was Amelita de Villanueva, a 13th-century noblewoman from the Aragonese court. She was renowned for her patronage of the arts and her support for the construction of several churches and monasteries in the region.
In the 16th century, the name gained prominence with Amelita de la Cruz, a Spanish nun and mystic known for her visions and religious writings. She was beatified by the Catholic Church in 1629, and her feast day is celebrated on August 20th.
Another significant figure in history bearing the name Amelita was Amelita Galli-Curci, an Italian operatic soprano born in 1882. She was renowned for her performances in operas by composers such as Puccini and Verdi and toured extensively throughout Europe and the United States.
During the 20th century, the name Amelita experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly in Latin American countries. One notable individual was Amelita Gallegos, a Mexican actress and singer born in 1919, who starred in numerous films and television shows throughout her career.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Amelita Miñamal, a Filipino activist and politician born in 1935. She played a crucial role in the non-violent resistance movement against the Marcos regime and was a vocal advocate for human rights and democracy in her country.
While the name Amelita has maintained its roots in Spanish-speaking cultures, it has also gained recognition in other parts of the world, with individuals from various backgrounds adopting it as their given name, though it remains relatively uncommon overall.
People
Amelita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Amelita as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Amelita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Amelita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Amelita going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Amelita a common name?
We classify Amelita as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 66 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Amelita most popular?
The single biggest year for Amelita was 1924, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Amelita is about 58 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Amelita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Amelita in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.