Nilda
A feminine name of Spanish origin meaning "battle maiden".
Name Census estimates that about 2,369 living Americans carry the first name Nilda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nilda today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nilda births was 1957 (118 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nilda. 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.
People living today
2.4K
~ 1 in 144,683 Americans
Peak year
1957
118 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
2016 SSA rank
#15,705
Tracked since 1911
Popularity
Nilda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nilda from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 834 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nilda 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 Nilda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nildas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. New York, Texas, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Nilda, while Massachusetts, Ohio, Connecticut recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 212 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nilda
The name Nilda originates from the Spanish language and has its roots traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be a diminutive form of the Spanish name Nila, which itself is derived from the Latin word "nilus," meaning "dark-complexioned" or "from the Nile River region."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nilda can be found in a 12th-century Spanish manuscript, where it was used to refer to a young woman from a noble family in the region of Andalusia. This suggests that the name may have been more prevalent among the upper classes in its early days.
Historically, the name Nilda does not appear to have any significant religious or cultural connotations, though it may have been influenced by the Moorish presence in parts of Spain during the Middle Ages. This could explain the possible connection to the Nile River region in its etymology.
Among the notable individuals who have borne the name Nilda throughout history, one can mention Nilda Piñón (1937-present), a renowned Argentine writer and academic who has received numerous literary awards for her works. Another prominent figure is Nilda Fernández (1957-present), an Argentine actress known for her roles in television and film.
In the world of music, Nilda Lepratti (1909-1972) was an Argentine singer and actress who achieved great popularity in the 1930s and 1940s. She was affectionately known as "La Voz del Mundo" (The Voice of the World) for her exceptional vocal talent.
Moving to the realm of sports, Nilda Gómez (1935-2011) was a Cuban volleyball player who represented her country in multiple international competitions, including the Olympic Games, and was a key member of the Cuban national team during the 1960s.
Lastly, one can mention Nilda Pereira (1932-2019), a Brazilian painter and artist who was renowned for her abstract and impressionistic works, earning her recognition both within Brazil and internationally.
People
Nilda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nilda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nilda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nilda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,369 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nilda 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 144,683 US residents.
Is Nilda a common name?
We classify Nilda as "Rare". It ranks above 94.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,244 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nilda most popular?
The single biggest year for Nilda was 1957, when 118 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nilda is about 58 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nilda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nilda 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.