Ursla
A feminine given name derived from the Latin "ursa" meaning "bear".
Name Census estimates that about 16 living Americans carry the first name Ursla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ursla today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ursla births was 1968 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ursla. 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 Ursla. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
16
~ 1 in 21,422,146 Americans
Peak year
1968
8 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
1976 SSA rank
#10,836
Tracked since 1968
Popularity
Ursla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ursla from the 1960s through to the 1970s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 10 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ursla 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 Ursla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ursla
The name Ursla is derived from the Latin word "ursa," meaning "bear." It is a feminine form of the name Ursus, which was a Roman cognomen or surname. The name has its origins in ancient Rome and was likely used as a nickname for someone who was considered strong or brave, like a bear.
The earliest recorded use of the name Ursla dates back to the 5th century AD, when it was mentioned in the writings of the Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus. In his work, Ammianus referred to a woman named Ursla who was a member of the Roman aristocracy.
During the Middle Ages, the name Ursla became popular among Christians, particularly in Germanic regions of Europe. It was often associated with St. Ursula, a legendary virgin martyr who was said to have been killed by the Huns in the 4th or 5th century. According to legend, St. Ursula was a British princess who led a group of 11,000 virgins on a pilgrimage to Rome, where they were martyred by the Huns.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Ursla was Ursla of Munsterlingen, a Swiss nun who lived in the 13th century. She is known for her writings on mysticism and her devotion to the Virgin Mary.
In the 16th century, the name Ursla was borne by Ursla von Münsterberg, a German noblewoman who served as the Abbess of the Quedlinburg Abbey from 1510 to 1543. She was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and played a role in promoting the teachings of Martin Luther.
Another notable bearer of the name Ursla was Ursla Gräfin von Leiningen-Westerburg, a German countess who lived in the 17th century. She was known for her support of the arts and her patronage of writers and artists.
In the 19th century, the name Ursla was borne by Ursla Lehmann, a German contralto opera singer who was born in 1837 and died in 1918. She was one of the most celebrated singers of her time and performed at many of the leading opera houses in Europe.
People
Ursla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ursla 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
Ursla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ursla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 16 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ursla 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 21,422,146 US residents.
Is Ursla a common name?
We classify Ursla as "Very Rare". It ranks above 36.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 18 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ursla most popular?
The single biggest year for Ursla was 1968, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ursla is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ursla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ursla 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.