Velencia
A feminine name of Spanish origin referring to the city of Valencia.
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the first name Velencia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Velencia today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Velencia births was 1988 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Velencia. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Velencia with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
125
~ 1 in 2,742,035 Americans
Peak year
1988
11 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2002 SSA rank
#13,534
Tracked since 1959
Census
Velencia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 197 people with the first name Velencia, which placed it at #38,754 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#38,754
National first-name rank
People counted
197
197 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
74.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Velencia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Velencia is Black at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.7%) and White (8.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Velencia described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Velencia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American74.1% · 146
- Hispanic or Latino13.7% · 27
- White8.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 5
- Two or more races1.0% · 2
Popularity
Velencia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Velencia from the 1950s through to the 2000s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 50 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Velencia remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Velencia 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 Velencia 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 Velencia
The name Velencia is believed to have originated from the Latin word "valentia," which means "bravery" or "valor." It is thought to have roots in ancient Roman culture, where valor and courage were highly prized virtues.
During the Roman period, the name Valentia was given to certain settlements or fortified towns, such as the city of Valencia in Spain, which was founded by the Romans in 138 BC. Over time, the name evolved into various forms, including Velencia.
One of the earliest known references to the name Velencia can be found in medieval records from the 12th century. It appears to have been used primarily in parts of Europe, particularly in Spain and Italy, where it was likely influenced by the Latin root and the name of the city of Valencia.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Velencia. One such person was Velencia de Cerqueira (1480-1552), a Portuguese noblewoman and courtier during the reign of King John III. Another was Velencia Calderón (1520-1590), a Spanish poet and playwright who was part of the Renaissance literary movement in Spain.
In the 17th century, Velencia Borghese (1615-1689) was an Italian aristocrat and patron of the arts, known for her involvement in the cultural and artistic circles of Rome. Similarly, Velencia Farnese (1642-1711) was an Italian princess and art collector who played a significant role in the cultural life of the Duchy of Parma.
More recently, Velencia Muñoz (1912-1999) was a Mexican artist and painter known for her vibrant depictions of Mexican folk life and traditions.
While the name Velencia has been used across various cultures and time periods, it remains relatively uncommon, particularly in more modern times. However, its linguistic roots and historical references continue to reflect the values of bravery and valor associated with its origins.
People
Velencia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Velencia 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
Velencia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Velencia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 125 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Velencia 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 2,742,035 US residents.
Is Velencia a common name?
We classify Velencia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 135 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Velencia most popular?
The single biggest year for Velencia was 1988, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Velencia is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Velencia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 197 people with the name Velencia, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #38,754 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Velencia in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Velencia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Velencia appears almost entirely female. Of the 193 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Velencia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Velencia is Black at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.7%) and White (8.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Velencia most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Velencia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.1% (146 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Velencia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Velencia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Velencia 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 Velencia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Velencia 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 Velencia 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.
How many people share the name Velencia?
You can see how many people share the name Velencia on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.