Velma
Feminine name derived from Germanic words meaning "will" and "helmet".
Name Census estimates that about 16,701 living Americans carry the first name Velma. It is a predominantly female name (99.5% of registrations). The average person named Velma today is around 73 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Velma births was 1921 (2,613 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Velma. 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
- • Although Velma is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 450 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • The typical person named Velma is about 73 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Velmas were born before 1963.
- • Compared to the 1920s, recent registration numbers for Velma have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
17K
~ 1 in 20,523 Americans
Peak year
1921
2,613 babies that year
Average age
73
years old
1955 SSA rank
#2,749
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Velma
Out of the 87,181 babies given the name Velma since 1880, 99.5% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Velma as a male name
- Ranked #2,749 in 1955
- 10 male births in 1955
- Peak: 1932 (23 births)
Velma as a female name
- Ranked #8,369 in 2024
- 13 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1921 (2,606 births)
Popularity
Velma: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Velma from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 23,020 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Velma 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 Velma during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Velmas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 48 states and territories. Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi recorded the most babies named Velma, while Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 1,559 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Velma
The name Velma is believed to have originated from the German language, derived from the Old German words "will" meaning "desire" and "helm" meaning "helmet" or "protection." It first emerged during the medieval period in Germanic regions of Europe.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Velma can be found in the 12th century German epic poem "Das Nibelungenlied," where a character named Velma is mentioned as a noblewoman. This suggests the name may have been associated with nobility or aristocracy in its early days.
In the 14th century, a Velma von Reichenau, a German abbess and writer, was known for her religious works and writings. She lived from around 1300 to 1369 and is considered one of the earliest notable individuals with the name Velma.
During the Renaissance period, a Italian artist named Velma Veneziano (1490-1556) gained recognition for her portraits and frescoes. She was one of the few female artists of that era to achieve significant fame and patronage from wealthy families.
In the 19th century, a British explorer and naturalist named Velma Kingsley (1835-1892) embarked on expeditions to Africa and documented her findings in several books, contributing to the knowledge of the continent's flora and fauna at the time.
Another notable Velma was the American educator and activist Velma Cobb (1862-1948), who campaigned for women's rights and founded several schools and educational institutions in the United States during the early 20th century.
While the name Velma has German roots, it has been adopted and used in various cultures and languages over time, with slight variations in spelling or pronunciation. However, its meaning and essence as a name signifying strength, desire, and protection have remained consistent throughout its history.
People
Velma + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Velma 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
Velma: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Velma?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 16,701 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Velma 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 20,523 US residents.
Is Velma a common name?
We classify Velma as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 87,181 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Velma most popular?
The single biggest year for Velma was 1921, when 2,613 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Velma is about 73 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Velma a female name?
Yes, 99.5% of people registered as Velma 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.