Pamla
A feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially from a Greek root meaning "all".
Name Census estimates that about 587 living Americans carry the first name Pamla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Pamla today is around 65 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pamla births was 1953 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pamla. 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
587
~ 1 in 583,909 Americans
Peak year
1953
39 babies that year
Average age
65
years old
1985 SSA rank
#10,264
Tracked since 1941
Census
Pamla in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 709 people with the first name Pamla, which placed it at #16,031 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
#16,031
National first-name rank
People counted
709
709 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
79.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pamla
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Pamla is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Pamla 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 Pamla at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.4% · 563
- Black or African American15.9% · 113
- Two or more races2.1% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 5
Popularity
Pamla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pamla from the 1940s through to the 1980s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 270 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
Pamla 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 Pamla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Pamlas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, Ohio, California recorded the most babies named Pamla, while California, Ohio, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 14 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Pamla
The name Pamla is a fascinating one, with roots that can be traced back to ancient times. It is believed to have originated in the region of modern-day Greece, where it was derived from the Greek word "pampholos," meaning "all-shining" or "radiant." This connection suggests that the name Pamla may have been associated with beauty, light, and purity in its earliest iterations.
One of the earliest known references to the name Pamla can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, who lived from 428 to 348 BCE. In his work "The Republic," Plato mentions a character named Pamla, though little is known about the specific context or significance of this reference.
As the centuries passed, the name Pamla continued to appear in various historical records and contexts. In the 5th century CE, a woman named Pamla was recorded as a Christian martyr who was killed for her faith during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Her story was documented in the writings of early Christian historians, adding a layer of religious significance to the name.
During the Middle Ages, the name Pamla gained some prominence in certain regions of Europe. In the 12th century, a noblewoman named Pamla de Montfort was a prominent figure in France, known for her involvement in the political affairs of the time. Additionally, in the 14th century, a nun named Pamla of Siena was revered for her piety and devotion to religious life.
As the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods unfolded, the name Pamla continued to be used, albeit less frequently. One notable figure was Pamla Veronese, an Italian painter who lived from 1528 to 1588 and was celebrated for her vibrant and naturalistic works of art.
In more recent times, the name Pamla has been less common, but there have been a few notable individuals who have carried it. Pamla Harriman, an American socialite and diplomat, played an influential role in politics and foreign affairs during the 20th century, serving as the U.S. Ambassador to France from 1993 to 1997.
While the name Pamla may not be as widely used today as it once was, its rich history and diverse cultural connections make it a fascinating and meaningful moniker, with roots that stretch back to the ancient world.
People
Pamla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pamla 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
Pamla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pamla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 587 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pamla 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 583,909 US residents.
Is Pamla a common name?
We classify Pamla as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 795 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pamla most popular?
The single biggest year for Pamla was 1953, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pamla is about 65 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Pamla in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 709 people with the name Pamla, or 0.23 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #16,031 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 Pamla 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 Pamla?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Pamla appears almost entirely female. Of the 710 people counted with this name, 99.3% 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 Pamla?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Pamla is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Pamla most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Pamla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.4% (563 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 Pamla in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Pamla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pamla 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 Pamla still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Pamla 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 Pamla 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 share the name Pamla?
Want to know how many Americans are named Pamla? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.