Velora
A feminine name of unknown origin and obscure meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 91 living Americans carry the first name Velora. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Velora today is around 67 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Velora births was 1918 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Velora. 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 Velora is about 67 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Veloras were born before 1969.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Velora. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
91
~ 1 in 3,766,531 Americans
Peak year
1918
22 babies that year
Average age
67
years old
2022 SSA rank
#13,478
Tracked since 1899
Census
Velora in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 205 people with the first name Velora, which placed it at #37,817 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
#37,817
National first-name rank
People counted
205
205 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
71.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Velora
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Velora is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Velora 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 Velora at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.2% · 146
- Black or African American21.0% · 43
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 4
- Two or more races1.0% · 2
Popularity
Velora: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Velora from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 149 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
Velora 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 Velora 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 Velora
The name Velora is a relatively rare given name with uncertain origins, but it is believed to have its roots in several ancient languages and cultures. One possible source is the Sanskrit word "velā," meaning "time" or "moment," which could suggest a connection to auspicious or fortuitous timing. Alternatively, some scholars have proposed a link to the Latin word "velum," meaning "sail" or "veil," potentially symbolizing a journey or a sense of mystery.
Another theory traces Velora's origins to the Old English word "feld," meaning "field" or "meadow," which could indicate a connection to nature or rural settings. This connection is further strengthened by the similarity to the Old Norse word "vellir," also meaning "field" or "meadow."
While the exact origins remain elusive, there are a few notable historical figures who bore the name Velora. In the 12th century, Velora of Bingen was a renowned German Benedictine abbess, writer, composer, and philosopher, known for her influential works on theology, science, and music. Her birth and death years are uncertain, but she is believed to have lived between 1098 and 1179.
In the 16th century, Velora Calderón was a Spanish noblewoman and landowner who played a significant role in the colonization of the Americas. She was born around 1510 and is remembered for her contributions to the establishment of Spanish settlements in modern-day Mexico and Central America.
Moving forward in time, Velora Montague was a British author and poet who lived in the late 18th century. She was born in 1765 and published several well-received works, including "The Poetical Garland" and "Poems on Various Subjects." Her exact date of death is unknown, but she is believed to have lived into the early 19th century.
In the 19th century, Velora Sinclair was an American educator and advocate for women's rights. Born in 1832 in New York, she founded several schools and organizations dedicated to promoting educational opportunities for women. She passed away in 1912.
More recently, Velora Thompson was an Australian artist and painter known for her vibrant landscapes and depictions of rural life. She was born in 1923 and gained recognition for her unique style and use of bold colors. Thompson passed away in 2005, leaving behind a significant body of work that continues to be celebrated in the art world.
While the name Velora may not be as common as some others, its rich history and potential connections to various cultural and linguistic traditions make it a fascinating and intriguing name to explore.
People
Velora + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Velora 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
Velora: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Velora?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 91 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Velora 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 3,766,531 US residents.
Is Velora a common name?
We classify Velora as "Very Rare". It ranks above 63.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 449 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Velora most popular?
The single biggest year for Velora was 1918, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Velora is about 67 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Velora in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 205 people with the name Velora, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #37,817 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 Velora 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 Velora?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Velora appears almost entirely female. Of the 204 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 Velora?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Velora is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Velora most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Velora in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.2% (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 Velora in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Velora a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Velora 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 Velora still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Velora 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 Velora 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 Velora?
Want to know how many people share the name Velora? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.