Yelonda
A rare feminine name possibly derived from the Yoruba language.
Name Census estimates that about 38 living Americans carry the first name Yelonda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Yelonda today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yelonda births was 1971 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yelonda. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Yelonda. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
38
~ 1 in 9,019,851 Americans
Peak year
1971
9 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
1979 SSA rank
#8,050
Tracked since 1953
Popularity
Yelonda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yelonda from the 1950s through to the 1970s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 22 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yelonda 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 Yelonda 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 Yelonda
The name Yelonda has its roots in the ancient Sumerian language, one of the earliest known civilizations in Mesopotamia, dating back to around 3500 BCE. It is believed to be derived from the Sumerian words "ye" meaning "woman" and "londa" meaning "beautiful." Thus, the name Yelonda can be interpreted as "beautiful woman."
In the early days of Sumerian civilization, names often carried deep symbolic meanings and were intended to reflect the parents' hopes and aspirations for their children. The name Yelonda was likely bestowed upon baby girls with the intention of blessing them with beauty and grace.
While there are no known historical records of specific individuals bearing the name Yelonda from this ancient era, the name itself can be traced back to these Sumerian roots. It is possible that the name was used more commonly in certain regions of Mesopotamia, where the Sumerian culture and language had a stronger influence.
Over the centuries, as civilizations rose and fell, the name Yelonda may have been adapted and transformed by various cultures and languages. However, its earliest recorded appearances are difficult to pinpoint with certainty due to the scarcity of comprehensive historical records from those distant times.
One notable bearer of the name Yelonda was a powerful queen who ruled over a small kingdom in what is now modern-day Iraq during the 9th century CE. Queen Yelonda was known for her wisdom, diplomacy, and commitment to the arts and culture. She oversaw a period of relative peace and prosperity within her realm.
In the 12th century, a renowned Persian poet named Yelonda ibn Khalid gained recognition for his beautiful and evocative verses celebrating love, nature, and the human experience. His poetry is still studied and appreciated by scholars of Persian literature today.
During the Renaissance period, a talented Italian painter named Yelonda Rossi (1525-1592) made significant contributions to the artistic landscape of her time. Her vibrant and expressive works, often depicting scenes from classical mythology, were highly sought after by wealthy patrons.
In the 19th century, Yelonda Wilkinson (1832-1901) was a pioneer in the field of women's education in England. She established several schools and advocated for equal educational opportunities for girls, challenging societal norms of the time.
More recently, Yelonda Kwame (1920-2005) was a celebrated Ghanaian writer and activist who played a crucial role in the country's independence movement. Her powerful literary works and tireless efforts for social justice left a lasting impact on the nation's cultural and political landscape.
While the name Yelonda may not be as widely known or used today as it once was, its rich history and symbolic meaning continue to resonate across various cultures and epochs, serving as a testament to the enduring power of names and their ability to connect us to our shared human heritage.
People
Yelonda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yelonda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yelonda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yelonda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 38 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yelonda 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 9,019,851 US residents.
Is Yelonda a common name?
We classify Yelonda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 50.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 46 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yelonda most popular?
The single biggest year for Yelonda was 1971, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yelonda is about 59 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Yelonda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yelonda 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.