Velton
A name derived from an English surname meaning "from the town near the valley".
Name Census estimates that about 277 living Americans carry the first name Velton. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Velton today is around 68 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Velton births was 1931 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Velton. 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 Velton is about 68 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Veltons were born before 1968.
People living today
277
~ 1 in 1,237,380 Americans
Peak year
1931
18 babies that year
Average age
68
years old
1993 SSA rank
#10,093
Tracked since 1912
Census
Velton in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 293 people with the first name Velton, which placed it at #29,959 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
#29,959
National first-name rank
People counted
293
293 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
51.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Velton
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Velton is Black at 51.2%. The next largest groups are White (41.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Velton 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 Velton at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American51.2% · 150
- White41.0% · 120
- Two or more races4.1% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.4% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Popularity
Velton: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Velton from the 1910s through to the 1990s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 113 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Velton 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 Velton during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Veltons live
Origin
Meaning and history of Velton
The name Velton has its origins in the ancient Germanic language, tracing back to the 5th century AD. It is believed to be derived from the Old High German word "walt," which means "ruler" or "one who rules." This suggests that the name was initially associated with individuals who held positions of authority or leadership within their communities.
During the Middle Ages, the name Velton gained popularity among the nobility and ruling classes across various regions of Europe. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the annals of the Frankish Kingdom, where a nobleman named Velton de Burgundy was mentioned in the 8th century as a loyal vassal to Charlemagne.
In the 11th century, a renowned scholar and monk named Velton of Reims made significant contributions to the field of theology and philosophy. His writings and teachings had a profound impact on the intellectual discourse of his time, earning him a place in the historical records of medieval Europe.
The name Velton also appears in various religious texts and chronicles from the medieval period. For instance, in the 13th century, a Benedictine monk named Velton of Canterbury was renowned for his piety and commitment to the monastic life. His spiritual writings were widely read and studied within the religious orders of that era.
As the centuries passed, the name Velton continued to be associated with notable figures throughout history. One such individual was Velton Hawkins (1822-1898), a prominent American abolitionist and civil rights activist who worked tirelessly to end slavery and promote racial equality in the United States.
Another notable bearer of the name was Velton DeGraff (1897-1983), a highly decorated American soldier who served with distinction in both World War I and World War II. His bravery and leadership on the battlefield earned him numerous military honors, including the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star.
In the realm of literature, Velton Dryden (1931-2003) was a celebrated English poet and writer, known for his insightful works that explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition. His poetic legacy has been recognized and celebrated by literary scholars and critics alike.
These are just a few examples of the rich history and diverse individuals who have carried the name Velton throughout the ages. While its origins may be rooted in ancient Germanic language and culture, the name has transcended borders and generations, leaving an indelible mark on various aspects of human endeavor.
People
Velton + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Velton 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
Velton: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Velton?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 277 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Velton 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 1,237,380 US residents.
Is Velton a common name?
We classify Velton as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 603 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Velton most popular?
The single biggest year for Velton was 1931, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Velton is about 68 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Velton in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 293 people with the name Velton, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #29,959 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 Velton 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 Velton?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Velton leans strongly male. 288 people counted with this name were male (97.3%), compared with 8 female bearers (2.7%). 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 Velton?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Velton is Black at 51.2%. The next largest groups are White (41.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Velton most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Velton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.2% (150 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 Velton in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Velton a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Velton in the SSA data are male. 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 Velton still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Velton 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 Velton 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 named Velton?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.