Uldine
A feminine name derived from the Old German name Hulda, meaning "prosperous in battle".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Uldine. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Uldine today is around 98 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Uldine births was 1927 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Uldine. 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 Uldine is about 98 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Uldines were born before 1938.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Uldine. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1927
36 babies that year
Average age
98
years old
1937 SSA rank
#2,921
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Uldine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Uldine from the 1920s through to the 1930s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 145 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Uldine remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Uldine 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 Uldine during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Uldines live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Georgia, South Carolina, New York recorded the most babies named Uldine, while Missouri, New York, South Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Uldine
The name Uldine is a rare and intriguing one, with its origins shrouded in mystery. Some scholars believe it may have its roots in ancient Germanic languages, where the prefix "uld" or "wald" was associated with forests or woodlands. This would suggest a connection to nature and the outdoors.
Another theory traces the name back to Old English, where the word "ylde" meant "age" or "old." In this interpretation, Uldine could have been a name bestowed upon someone of advanced years, a reflection of wisdom and experience.
Unfortunately, there is little concrete historical evidence to definitively pinpoint the origin or meaning of Uldine. It is not found in any major religious texts or ancient chronicles, making its past a tantalizing mystery.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Uldine was Uldine von Recklinghausen, a German noblewoman who lived in the 13th century. Her legacy is largely forgotten, but her unusual name has endured through the centuries.
In the realm of literature, Uldine makes an appearance in the works of French writer Honoré de Balzac, who featured a character by that name in his novel "The Wild Ass's Skin" published in 1831. This literary reference suggests that the name, while rare, was known and used in certain circles during that era.
Moving into the modern era, one notable figure with the name Uldine was Uldine Utley (1903-1986), an American actress and performer who graced the vaudeville stage and appeared in several Broadway productions in the 1920s and 1930s.
Another Uldine of note was Uldine Gail Pyle (1912-2004), an American politician and women's rights advocate who served as the first female mayor of Des Moines, Iowa, from 1966 to 1967.
Lastly, Uldine Griggs (1915-2003) was an American educator and civil rights activist who played a pivotal role in desegregating public schools in the state of North Carolina in the 1950s and 1960s.
While the name Uldine may be obscure, these historical figures demonstrate its enduring presence throughout the centuries, carrying with it a sense of uniqueness and intrigue.
People
Uldine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Uldine as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with U
Other first names starting with U with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Uldine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Uldine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Uldine 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Uldine a common name?
We classify Uldine as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 228 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Uldine most popular?
The single biggest year for Uldine was 1927, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Uldine is about 98 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Uldine in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Uldine a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Uldine 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 Uldine still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Uldine 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 Uldine 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Uldine?
Want to know how many Americans are named Uldine? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.