Pammela
Feminine variant of the Greek name Pamela, meaning "all sweetness".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Pammela. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Pammela today is around 61 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pammela births was 1965 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pammela. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Pammela. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1965
6 babies that year
Average age
61
years old
1965 SSA rank
#6,317
Tracked since 1965
Popularity
Pammela: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Pammela 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 Pammela during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 | 6 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Pammela
The given name Pammela is a female name derived from the Greek name Pamela, which itself is derived from the word "pan" meaning "all" and "melos" meaning "honey" or "honey-sweet". The name was first recorded in the ancient Greek pastoral romance "Daphnis and Chloe" written by Longus in the 3rd century AD, where Pamela was a beautiful shepherdess.
The name Pamela became popular in Europe during the Renaissance period, particularly after the publication of the novel "Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded" by Samuel Richardson in 1740. This novel introduced the name to a wider audience and helped establish it as a fashionable name among the English gentry.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Pammela is Pammela Willoughby, an English noblewoman who lived in the late 16th century. She was the daughter of Sir Francis Willoughby and was known for her beauty and intelligence.
Another notable figure with the name Pammela was Pammela Locke (1625-1678), an English philosopher and writer who was a close friend of the philosopher John Locke. She is best known for her work "A Meditation on the Love of God" published posthumously in 1688.
In the 18th century, Pammela Countess of Edward (1713-1776) was a prominent figure in British society. She was a patron of the arts and literature and hosted many literary salons in her home.
During the Victorian era, Pammela Genevieve Nightingale (1820-1910) was a British author and social reformer who wrote several books on women's education and the importance of nursing as a profession.
In the 20th century, Pammela Osborne (1914-1992) was an Australian actress and writer who appeared in several films and television shows throughout her career.
While the name Pammela has been less common in recent times, it has a rich history dating back to ancient Greece and has been borne by notable figures throughout the centuries.
People
Pammela + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pammela 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
Pammela: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pammela?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pammela 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Pammela a common name?
We classify Pammela as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pammela most popular?
The single biggest year for Pammela was 1965, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pammela is about 61 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Pammela a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pammela 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.