Guelda
An uncommon feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of Gilda.
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Guelda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Guelda today is around 93 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Guelda births was 1933 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Guelda. 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 Guelda is about 93 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Gueldas were born before 1943.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Guelda. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
1933
12 babies that year
Average age
93
years old
1944 SSA rank
#4,823
Tracked since 1915
Census
Guelda in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 97 people with the first name Guelda, which placed it at #53,534 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
#53,534
National first-name rank
People counted
97
97 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
75.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guelda
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Guelda is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Hispanic (7.2%). 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 Guelda 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 Guelda at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.3% · 73
- Black or African American14.4% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 7
- Two or more races2.1% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Popularity
Guelda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Guelda from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 69 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
Guelda 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 Guelda 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 Guelda
The given name Guelda has its roots in the German language, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "geld," which means "money" or "wealth." The name's origins are closely tied to the Germanic cultural traditions that valued material prosperity and financial affluence.
During the medieval period, the name Guelda was particularly prevalent in the regions of present-day Germany and the Low Countries. It was often bestowed upon children born into wealthy families or those whose parents wished for their offspring to lead a prosperous life. The name's association with wealth and abundance made it a popular choice among the mercantile class and the nobility.
While no specific historical references to the name Guelda have been found in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is believed that the earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 12th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Guelda von Aachen, a noblewoman from the city of Aachen, who lived in the late 12th century.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Guelda. One such figure was Guelda von Nürnberg (1320-1387), a prominent merchant and philanthropist from the city of Nuremberg. Her legacy includes the establishment of several charitable foundations and the construction of a hospital that bore her name.
Another prominent figure was Guelda von Köln (1452-1521), a renowned scholar and educator from the city of Cologne. She is credited with establishing one of the first schools for girls in the region and was widely respected for her contributions to the advancement of education.
In the 16th century, Guelda von Mainz (1511-1579) was a notable figure in the Lutheran Reformation. She was a close confidante of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the dissemination of Protestant teachings throughout Germany.
Moving forward to the 18th century, Guelda von Hannover (1723-1789) was a celebrated composer and musician who served as the court musician for the House of Hanover. Her compositions, particularly her operas and chamber music, were highly regarded during her time.
Lastly, Guelda von Berlin (1867-1945) was a prominent feminist activist and writer who advocated for women's rights and gender equality in the early 20th century. Her works played a pivotal role in shaping the discourse on women's emancipation in Germany and beyond.
People
Guelda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Guelda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Guelda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Guelda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Guelda 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 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Guelda a common name?
We classify Guelda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 166 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Guelda most popular?
The single biggest year for Guelda was 1933, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Guelda is about 93 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Guelda in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 97 people with the name Guelda, or 0.03 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #53,534 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 Guelda 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 Guelda?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Guelda leans strongly female. 98 people counted with this name were female (95.1%), compared with 5 male bearers (4.9%). 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 Guelda?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Guelda is White at 75.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Hispanic (7.2%). 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 Guelda most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Guelda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.3% (73 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 Guelda in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Guelda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Guelda 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 Guelda still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Guelda 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 Guelda 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 Guelda as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.