Vielka
Diminutive form of Wielka, a Slavic feminine name meaning "great" or "majestic".
Name Census estimates that about 175 living Americans carry the first name Vielka. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Vielka today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vielka births was 2006 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vielka. 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.
People living today
175
~ 1 in 1,958,596 Americans
Peak year
2006
26 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2023 SSA rank
#17,429
Tracked since 1970
Census
Vielka in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 781 people with the first name Vielka, which placed it at #14,909 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
#14,909
National first-name rank
People counted
781
781 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
94.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vielka
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Vielka is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Black (3.2%) and White (1.4%). 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 Vielka 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 Vielka at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.4% · 737
- Black or African American3.2% · 25
- White1.4% · 11
- Two or more races0.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Popularity
Vielka: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vielka from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 120 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vielka 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 Vielka during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vielkas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Vielka
The name Vielka is of Lithuanian origin and can be traced back to the early 16th century. It is derived from the Lithuanian word "vielka," which means "path" or "way." The name was likely given to children as a symbolic representation of the journey they were about to embark on in life.
In ancient Lithuanian folklore, Vielka was also the name of a goddess associated with travel, guidance, and protection. She was often depicted as a young woman carrying a lantern, leading travelers along safe paths through the dense forests that covered much of the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vielka can be found in a Lithuanian chronicle from the year 1527, which mentions a woman by that name who was renowned for her skills as a healer and herbalist. Unfortunately, little else is known about her life or accomplishments.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Vielka. One of the most prominent was Vielka Gediminaite (1412-1492), a Lithuanian noblewoman and philanthropist who founded several hospitals and orphanages in her homeland. She was widely admired for her charitable works and commitment to helping the less fortunate.
Another notable figure was Vielka Klimaite (1801-1875), a Lithuanian poet and writer who was one of the first women in her country to publish her works. Her poetry often celebrated the beauty of nature and the resilience of the Lithuanian people.
In the 20th century, Vielka Kalnietis (1920-1998) was a renowned Lithuanian dancer and choreographer. She was instrumental in preserving and promoting traditional Lithuanian folk dances, and her performances were widely acclaimed both in her homeland and abroad.
Vielka Kurmyte (1932-2016) was a celebrated Lithuanian artist whose vibrant paintings and sculptures captured the rich cultural heritage and natural landscapes of her country. Her works are displayed in museums and galleries throughout Lithuania and beyond.
While the name Vielka may not be as common today as it once was, it remains a significant part of Lithuanian cultural heritage, carrying with it a deep connection to the country's history, folklore, and artistic traditions.
People
Vielka + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vielka 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
Vielka: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vielka?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 175 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vielka 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 1,958,596 US residents.
Is Vielka a common name?
We classify Vielka as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 179 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vielka most popular?
The single biggest year for Vielka was 2006, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vielka is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Vielka in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 781 people with the name Vielka, or 0.26 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,909 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 Vielka 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 Vielka?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Vielka appears almost entirely female. Of the 783 people counted with this name, 99.6% 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 Vielka?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Vielka is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Black (3.2%) and White (1.4%). 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 Vielka most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Vielka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (737 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 Vielka in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vielka a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vielka 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 Vielka still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vielka 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 Vielka 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 have the name Vielka?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.