Velinda
Feminine name of uncertain origin, perhaps from a blend of names or languages.
Name Census estimates that about 707 living Americans carry the first name Velinda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Velinda today is around 57 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Velinda births was 1958 (45 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Velinda. 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.
People living today
707
~ 1 in 484,801 Americans
Peak year
1958
45 babies that year
Average age
57
years old
2022 SSA rank
#17,568
Tracked since 1942
Census
Velinda in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 822 people with the first name Velinda, which placed it at #14,360 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
#14,360
National first-name rank
People counted
822
822 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
37.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Velinda
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Velinda is White at 37.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.7%) and Black (23.8%). 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 Velinda 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 Velinda at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White37.8% · 311
- Hispanic or Latino30.7% · 252
- Black or African American23.8% · 196
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 29
- Two or more races2.8% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 11
Popularity
Velinda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Velinda from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 320 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
Velinda 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 Velinda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Velindas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Texas, North Carolina, Alabama recorded the most babies named Velinda, while New York, Michigan, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Velinda
The name Velinda has its origins in the Sanskrit language, tracing back to ancient India around the 3rd century BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "Velinda," which means "a creeper plant" or "vine." This name was likely given to symbolize growth, fertility, and the interconnectedness of life.
In ancient Hindu texts, such as the Vedas and Puranas, there are mentions of deities and mythological figures with names similar to Velinda. One example is Vellida, a minor goddess associated with nature and the cycles of growth and decay.
The earliest recorded use of the name Velinda dates back to the 6th century CE, during the Gupta Empire in India. There are mentions of a female scholar and poet named Velinda who wrote extensively on the subjects of love and nature.
During the medieval period, the name Velinda gained popularity among the royal families of South India. One notable figure was Velinda Devi, a queen of the Chola Dynasty in the 11th century, known for her patronage of the arts and her charitable works.
In the 16th century, the name Velinda appeared in the writings of the Mughal Empire's court poets and chroniclers. There was a famous courtesan and dancer named Velinda who was celebrated for her beauty and grace.
As time passed, the name Velinda spread to other parts of the world through cultural exchanges and migrations. In the 19th century, there was a notable writer and activist named Velinda Hawthorne (1825-1892) who campaigned for women's rights and abolition of slavery in the United States.
During the 20th century, the name Velinda saw a resurgence in popularity, particularly in South Asia. One notable figure was Velinda Puri (1903-1988), an Indian classical dancer and choreographer who played a significant role in the revival of traditional dance forms.
Throughout history, the name Velinda has been associated with creative expression, nature, and a sense of timeless beauty. While its usage has ebbed and flowed across different cultures, it remains a unique and evocative name with deep roots in ancient Indian heritage.
People
Velinda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Velinda 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
Velinda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Velinda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 707 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Velinda 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 484,801 US residents.
Is Velinda a common name?
We classify Velinda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 896 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Velinda most popular?
The single biggest year for Velinda was 1958, when 45 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Velinda is about 57 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Velinda in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 822 people with the name Velinda, or 0.27 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,360 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 Velinda 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 Velinda?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Velinda appears almost entirely female. Of the 818 people counted with this name, 99.9% 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 Velinda?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Velinda is White at 37.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.7%) and Black (23.8%). 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 Velinda most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Velinda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 37.8% (311 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 Velinda in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Velinda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Velinda 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 Velinda still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Velinda 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 Velinda 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 are called Velinda?
Find out how many Americans are named Velinda on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.