Valda
A feminine name of Scandinavian origin, meaning "to rule" or "mighty power".
Name Census estimates that about 660 living Americans carry the first name Valda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Valda today is around 70 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Valda births was 1957 (62 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Valda. 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 Valda is about 70 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Valdas were born before 1966.
People living today
660
~ 1 in 519,325 Americans
Peak year
1957
62 babies that year
Average age
70
years old
1982 SSA rank
#10,468
Tracked since 1897
Popularity
Valda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Valda from the 1890s through to the 1980s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 402 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
Valda 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 Valda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Valdas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Texas, California, Nebraska recorded the most babies named Valda, while Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Valda
The name Valda has its origins in various Germanic languages. It is derived from the Old Norse word "valdr" which means "ruler" or "wielder of power." This name was popular among the ancient Norse and Viking cultures, particularly in Scandinavia and parts of northern Europe.
Valda was also used as a feminine form of the Old High German name "Walda," which had a similar meaning of "power" or "authority." This name was more prevalent in the regions of modern-day Germany and parts of Central Europe during the Middle Ages.
While the name Valda does not appear to be directly referenced in any major ancient texts or religious scriptures, it was likely used among the nobility and ruling classes of the time, reflecting its association with power and leadership.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Valda can be found in the 9th century, when a noblewoman named Valda, the daughter of a Frankish count, was mentioned in historical records from the Carolingian Empire.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Valda. Valda of Flanders (c. 1030-1090) was a Countess of Flanders and the mother of Robert Curthose, the Duke of Normandy. Valda of Toulouse (c. 1080-1154) was a Countess of Toulouse and a prominent figure during the Crusades.
In the 13th century, Valda of Saxony (c. 1210-1272) was a German noblewoman and the wife of Count Henry I of Anhalt. Valda of Swabia (c. 1270-1332) was a Duchess of Swabia and a member of the House of Hohenstaufen, one of the most influential dynasties of the Holy Roman Empire.
In more recent centuries, Valda Cavalcanti (1898-1971) was a Brazilian novelist and playwright, known for her works exploring social issues and the lives of women in Brazil.
People
Valda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Valda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Valda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Valda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 660 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Valda 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 519,325 US residents.
Is Valda a common name?
We classify Valda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,866 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Valda most popular?
The single biggest year for Valda was 1957, when 62 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Valda is about 70 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Valda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Valda 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.