Palmira
A given female name of Spanish and Italian origin meaning "palm tree".
Name Census estimates that about 433 living Americans carry the first name Palmira. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Palmira today is around 57 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Palmira births was 1924 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Palmira. 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
433
~ 1 in 791,580 Americans
Peak year
1924
20 babies that year
Average age
57
years old
2016 SSA rank
#18,198
Tracked since 1911
Census
Palmira in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,296 people with the first name Palmira, which placed it at #10,343 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
#10,343
National first-name rank
People counted
1.3K
1,296 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
71.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Palmira
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Palmira is Hispanic at 71.6%. The next largest groups are White (23.1%) and Black (4.1%). 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 Palmira 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 Palmira at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino71.6% · 928
- White23.1% · 300
- Black or African American4.1% · 53
- Two or more races0.6% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Popularity
Palmira: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Palmira from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 143 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
Palmira 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 Palmira during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Palmiras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Texas, California, Massachusetts recorded the most babies named Palmira, while New York, Massachusetts, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 58 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Palmira
The name Palmira has its origins in the Latin language, originating from the ancient Roman civilization. It is derived from the Latin word "palma," which means "palm tree" or "victory." The name is believed to have been in use as early as the 1st century AD, during the peak of the Roman Empire.
In ancient Roman culture, the palm tree was a symbol of victory and triumph, often associated with military conquests and athletic achievements. As such, the name Palmira may have been given to girls born in families with a strong military background or those who celebrated significant victories or triumphs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Palmira can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Pliny the Younger, who lived from AD 61 to 112. He mentioned a woman named Palmira in one of his letters, suggesting that the name was in use during that time period.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Palmira. One of the most famous was Palmira Brummett (1914-1988), an American aviator and flight instructor who played a significant role in training pilots during World War II. She was also a pioneer in promoting aviation education for women.
Another notable Palmira was Palmira Teles (1904-1994), a Brazilian writer and activist who fought for women's rights and social justice. Her works, which often explored themes of feminism and societal issues, were widely acclaimed and influential in Brazil.
In the realm of music, Palmira Arellano (1924-2016) was a renowned Chilean singer and actress known for her work in traditional Chilean folk music. She was recognized as a national cultural icon and received numerous awards for her contributions to preserving and promoting Chilean cultural heritage.
The name Palmira also holds historical significance in the world of archaeology. The ancient city of Palmyra, located in present-day Syria, was an important trading hub and cultural center in the ancient world. The city's name, derived from the same Latin root as the name Palmira, further reinforces the connection between the name and the symbolism of the palm tree.
Another notable figure named Palmira was Palmira Matos-Fernandez (1923-2014), a Puerto Rican educator and civil rights activist. She played a crucial role in desegregating public schools in Puerto Rico and advocating for equal educational opportunities for all students, regardless of their race or ethnicity.
People
Palmira + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Palmira as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Palmira: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Palmira?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 433 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Palmira 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 791,580 US residents.
Is Palmira a common name?
We classify Palmira as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 852 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Palmira most popular?
The single biggest year for Palmira was 1924, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Palmira is about 57 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Palmira in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,296 people with the name Palmira, or 0.43 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #10,343 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 Palmira 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 Palmira?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Palmira appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,290 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Palmira?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Palmira is Hispanic at 71.6%. The next largest groups are White (23.1%) and Black (4.1%). 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 Palmira most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Palmira in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.6% (928 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 Palmira in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Palmira a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Palmira 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 Palmira still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Palmira 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 Palmira 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 Palmira as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.