Velta
An Irish baby name meaning "woman".
Name Census estimates that about 245 living Americans carry the first name Velta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Velta today is around 77 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Velta births was 1927 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Velta. 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 Velta is about 77 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Veltas were born before 1959.
People living today
245
~ 1 in 1,398,997 Americans
Peak year
1927
36 babies that year
Average age
77
years old
1969 SSA rank
#6,592
Tracked since 1899
Popularity
Velta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Velta from the 1890s through to the 1960s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 303 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
Velta 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 Velta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Veltas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri recorded the most babies named Velta, while Texas, Kansas, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 28 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Velta
The name Velta is of Baltic origin, derived from the Latvian language. It is believed to have emerged in the 16th or 17th century, during the period when Latvia was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Velta is thought to be a feminine form of the Latvian word "velts," which means "gift" or "present." It may have been used as a name to signify a child being a gift or blessing. The name could also be related to the Latvian word "velt," meaning "to dedicate" or "to devote."
While the name does not appear to have any direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it likely gained popularity among Latvian families during the 16th and 17th centuries as a way to express gratitude for a newborn child.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Velta was Velta Līne (1923-1992), a Latvian writer and poet. She published several collections of poetry and children's literature and was recognized for her contributions to Latvian literature.
Another notable figure was Velta Toma (1930-1995), a Latvian actress who appeared in numerous films and television productions throughout her career. She was a popular figure in Latvian cinema and received several awards for her performances.
In the field of sports, Velta Stramkale (born 1972) is a former Latvian basketball player who represented Latvia in international competitions, including the Olympic Games and the FIBA EuroBasket Women.
Velta Naļivaiko (1917-1994) was a Latvian writer and translator, known for her translations of Russian literature into Latvian. She also authored several books and plays of her own.
Velta Krūze (1925-2018) was a Latvian painter and graphic artist, recognized for her contributions to Latvian art. Her works were exhibited both in Latvia and internationally, and she received numerous awards and honors for her artistic achievements.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the name Velta who have made significant contributions in various fields throughout history, primarily in Latvia and the Baltic region.
People
Velta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Velta 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
Velta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Velta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 245 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Velta 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 1,398,997 US residents.
Is Velta a common name?
We classify Velta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,113 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Velta most popular?
The single biggest year for Velta was 1927, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Velta is about 77 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Velta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Velta 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.