Veva
A feminine name of undetermined origin, possibly a variant form of Eva.
Name Census estimates that about 215 living Americans carry the first name Veva. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Veva today is around 76 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Veva births was 1922 (60 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Veva. 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 Veva is about 76 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Vevas were born before 1960.
People living today
215
~ 1 in 1,594,206 Americans
Peak year
1922
60 babies that year
Average age
76
years old
1975 SSA rank
#7,962
Tracked since 1882
Census
Veva in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 376 people with the first name Veva, which placed it at #25,264 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
#25,264
National first-name rank
People counted
376
376 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
80.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Veva
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Veva is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Hispanic (6.6%). 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 Veva 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 Veva at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 301
- Black or African American7.2% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 25
- Two or more races2.7% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.4% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 4
Popularity
Veva: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Veva from the 1880s through to the 1970s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 375 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
Veva 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 Veva during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vevas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Missouri, Oklahoma, Michigan recorded the most babies named Veva, while West Virginia, Oregon, Nebraska recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Veva
The name Veva is a relatively uncommon given name with uncertain origins. It is believed to have its roots in the Slavic languages, particularly in the regions of Eastern Europe. Some linguists suggest that it may be derived from the Slavic root "vev," which means "wind" or "breeze," lending the name a sense of lightness and movement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Veva can be traced back to the 16th century, when it appeared in historical records from the region of modern-day Poland. At that time, it was primarily used as a feminine name, although its precise meaning and etymology remain unclear.
Throughout history, there have been a few notable individuals who bore the name Veva. One such person was Veva Stelzer (1890-1972), an Austrian painter and illustrator who was part of the Viennese Secession art movement in the early 20th century. Her works often depicted scenes of everyday life and were characterized by their vibrant colors and expressive brushwork.
Another notable figure with the name Veva was Veva Bjerke (1905-1986), a Norwegian swimmer who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. She won a silver medal in the women's 200-meter breaststroke event, becoming one of the first female Olympic medalists from Norway.
In the realm of literature, there is a character named Veva in the novel "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoevsky, published in 1869. Although a minor character, Veva's appearance in this classic work of Russian literature further attests to the name's Slavic origins.
Additionally, Veva Gomshei (1894-1974) was an American artist and illustrator who was known for her work in children's literature. She illustrated numerous books, including "The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams Bianco, and her whimsical illustrations brought joy to generations of young readers.
While the name Veva may not be as prevalent as some other given names, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals across various fields, from art and literature to sports and beyond. Its unique sound and potential Slavic origins add to its charm and distinctiveness.
People
Veva + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Veva 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
Veva: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Veva?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 215 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Veva 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 1,594,206 US residents.
Is Veva a common name?
We classify Veva as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,598 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Veva most popular?
The single biggest year for Veva was 1922, when 60 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Veva is about 76 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Veva in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 376 people with the name Veva, or 0.12 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #25,264 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 Veva 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 Veva?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Veva appears almost entirely female. Of the 376 people counted with this name, 99.2% 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 Veva?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Veva is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Hispanic (6.6%). 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 Veva most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Veva in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (301 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 Veva in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Veva a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Veva 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 Veva still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Veva 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 Veva 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 Veva?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.