Ursulla
A feminine name from Latin meaning "little female bear".
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Ursulla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ursulla today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ursulla births was 1969 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ursulla. 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 Ursulla. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1969
5 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
1972 SSA rank
#9,607
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Ursulla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ursulla 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 5 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
Ursulla 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 Ursulla 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 Ursulla
The given name Ursulla has its origins in the Latin language, derived from the word "ursa," which means "bear." This connection to the bear animal likely stems from the name's earliest known use in ancient Rome, where it was associated with strength, courage, and resilience – qualities embodied by the powerful bear.
In the early days of Christianity, the name Ursulla gained further significance as it was borne by Saint Ursula, a legendary Roman Catholic saint and martyr. According to tradition, Ursula was a young Britannic princess who, along with her companions known as the Eleven Thousand Virgins, was martyred for her faith by the Huns in the 4th or 5th century.
The name Ursulla has also been spelled in various ways throughout history, including Ursula, Orsula, and Orsolya. These variations can be found in different languages and cultures, reflecting the name's widespread adoption across Europe and beyond.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Ursulla can be found in the 6th century, when it was used by Saint Ursula, a Spanish nun and abbess who lived from around 515 to 628 AD. Another notable bearer of the name was Ursula of Munsterberg (1491-1543), a Duchess of Münsterberg and a member of the Piast dynasty of Poland.
In the literary realm, the name Ursulla gained prominence through the character of Ursula Brangwen in D.H. Lawrence's novel "The Rainbow," published in 1915. This fictional Ursula was a complex and compelling figure, reflecting the author's exploration of themes like sexuality, relationships, and societal norms.
Other famous individuals named Ursulla throughout history include:
1. Ursula Andress (born 1936), a Swiss actress best known for her iconic role as Honey Ryder in the James Bond film "Dr. No" (1962).
2. Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018), an acclaimed American author of science fiction and fantasy novels, including "The Left Hand of Darkness" and the Earthsea series.
3. Ursula von der Leyen (born 1958), a German politician who has served as the President of the European Commission since 2019.
4. Ursula Burns (born 1958), an American business executive who was the first Black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company as the CEO of Xerox from 2009 to 2016.
5. Ursula Oppens (born 1944), an American pianist and educator known for her performances and recordings of contemporary classical music.
People
Ursulla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ursulla 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
Ursulla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ursulla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ursulla 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Ursulla a common name?
We classify Ursulla as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ursulla most popular?
The single biggest year for Ursulla was 1969, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ursulla is about 54 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 Ursulla in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ursulla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ursulla 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 Ursulla still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ursulla 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 Ursulla 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 Ursulla?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.