Blenda
A feminine variant of the medieval name Blanche meaning "white, blonde".
Name Census estimates that about 623 living Americans carry the first name Blenda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Blenda today is around 68 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Blenda births was 1951 (57 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Blenda. 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 Blenda is about 68 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Blendas were born before 1968.
People living today
623
~ 1 in 550,167 Americans
Peak year
1951
57 babies that year
Average age
68
years old
1993 SSA rank
#13,712
Tracked since 1898
Popularity
Blenda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Blenda from the 1890s through to the 1990s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 331 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
Blenda 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 Blenda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Blendas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. North Carolina, Texas, Alabama recorded the most babies named Blenda, while Virginia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Blenda
The name Blenda is believed to have originated from the Old English language, derived from the word "blanden," which means "to blend" or "to mix." This name first appeared during the Anglo-Saxon period, which spanned from the 5th to the 11th century in England.
While the name Blenda does not have a direct connection to any ancient texts or religious scriptures, it was a relatively common name among Anglo-Saxon women during the Middle Ages. Some of the earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in various historical documents from that era, such as parish records and census rolls.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Blenda was Blenda of Mercia, a noblewoman who lived in the 7th century and was married to King Penda of Mercia. Another notable figure was Blenda the Fair, a renowned beauty who lived in the 10th century and was known for her exceptional physical appearance.
In the 12th century, a woman named Blenda of Shrewsbury gained recognition for her charitable works and contributions to the local community. She is often mentioned in historical accounts of the time as a benevolent figure who supported the poor and needy.
During the 13th century, Blenda de Clifford, a member of the influential Clifford family, played a significant role in the governance of her family's lands and estates. She is recorded in various legal documents and property records from that period.
In the 15th century, Blenda Neville, a noblewoman from the powerful Neville family, was known for her involvement in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars fought between the House of Lancaster and the House of York for the English throne.
While the name Blenda fell out of common usage in more recent centuries, it has remained a part of historical records and serves as a reminder of the rich cultural heritage of the Anglo-Saxon period in England.
People
Blenda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Blenda 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
Blenda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Blenda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 623 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Blenda 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 550,167 US residents.
Is Blenda a common name?
We classify Blenda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,022 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Blenda most popular?
The single biggest year for Blenda was 1951, when 57 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Blenda is about 68 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Blenda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Blenda 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.