Belenda
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly from Spanish or Italian roots.
Name Census estimates that about 89 living Americans carry the first name Belenda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Belenda today is around 66 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Belenda births was 1958 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Belenda. 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
- • The typical person named Belenda is about 66 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Belendas were born before 1970.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Belenda. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
89
~ 1 in 3,851,172 Americans
Peak year
1958
10 babies that year
Average age
66
years old
1976 SSA rank
#8,252
Tracked since 1948
Census
Belenda in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 183 people with the first name Belenda, which placed it at #40,598 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#40,598
National first-name rank
People counted
183
183 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
59.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Belenda
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Belenda is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (18.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Belenda described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Belenda at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.6% · 109
- Black or African American18.6% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.3% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 13
- Two or more races4.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 2
Popularity
Belenda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Belenda from the 1940s through to the 1970s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 49 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Belenda 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 Belenda 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 Belenda
Belenda is a feminine given name with roots tracing back to the ancient Germanic languages. Its origins can be attributed to the Proto-Germanic word "bal," which means "strong" or "powerful," and the suffix "-linda," which signifies "tender" or "gentle." The name's contrasting elements suggest a harmonious blend of fortitude and delicacy.
In the early medieval period, variants of the name, such as Belinda and Bellinda, were prevalent among Germanic tribes, particularly the Franks and Saxons. These variants were often associated with noble or influential families, indicating a sense of prestige and respect.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Belenda dates back to the 9th century, when it appeared in the Carolingian annals, historical records documenting the reign of Charlemagne and his successors. Belenda was mentioned as the name of a noblewoman within the Frankish court, although specific details about her life remain scarce.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name continued to be used sporadically across various Germanic regions, often associated with figures of aristocratic or religious significance. One notable figure bearing the name was Belenda of Burgundy, a 12th-century Benedictine abbess renowned for her piety and leadership of the Monastic Order of St. Benedict.
During the Renaissance period, the name experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly in regions influenced by Italian culture. The Italian variant, Belinda, gained prominence through its use in literature, such as the pastoral poem "Il Pastor Fido" by Battista Guarini, published in 1590. The character Belinda in this work embodied the ideals of grace and virtue.
In the 17th century, the English poet John Milton immortalized the name Belinda in his epic satirical poem "The Rape of the Lock." The central character, Belinda, represented the epitome of feminine beauty and elegance, further solidifying the name's association with grace and refinement.
Other notable figures throughout history who bore the name Belenda or its variants include Belinda Carlisle, an American singer and songwriter born in 1958, best known as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's; Belinda Bencic, a Swiss professional tennis player born in 1997; and Belinda Arrizurieta, a Mexican actress and singer born in 1967.
While the name Belenda may have experienced fluctuations in popularity over the centuries, its enduring presence across various cultures and time periods underscores its timeless appeal and the rich tapestry of meanings woven into its linguistic roots.
People
Belenda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Belenda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Belenda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Belenda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 89 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Belenda 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 3,851,172 US residents.
Is Belenda a common name?
We classify Belenda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 120 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Belenda most popular?
The single biggest year for Belenda was 1958, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Belenda is about 66 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Belenda in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 183 people with the name Belenda, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #40,598 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Belenda in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Belenda?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Belenda leans strongly female. 178 people counted with this name were female (97.8%), compared with 4 male bearers (2.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Belenda?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Belenda is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (18.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Belenda most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Belenda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.6% (109 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Belenda in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Belenda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Belenda 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.
Is Belenda still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Belenda in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Belenda can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people have Belenda as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Belenda, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.