Nelma

Last seen for girls in 1960 at #5,168

Peak · girls
1926 · 50 births
Debut · girls
5 births
In top 100 · girls
never
of 146 years
Total births · girls
1,229
since 1907

Nelma over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Nelma has never cracked the top 1,000 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201932peak #1,054, 1926girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirls
rankbirths
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
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2000
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1962
1961
1960#5,1687
1959#4,6258
1958
1957#4,9187
1956
1955#4,0699
1954#3,49011
1953#3,9559
1952#3,20112
1951#2,93713
1950#2,90913
1949#2,34018
1948#3,35010
1947#2,63715
1946#1,77126
1945#1,94119
1944#2,40114
1943#2,86111
1942#1,59227
1941#1,41830
1940#1,54925
1939#1,35030
1938#1,34330
1937#1,33030
1936#1,20635
1935#1,26432
1934#1,16637
1933#1,19735
1932#1,13040
1931#1,33630
1930#1,23237
1929#1,13742
1928#1,16343
1927#1,13945
1926#1,05450
1925#1,15045
1924#1,22742
1923#1,19742
1922#1,19042
1921#1,37434
1920#1,47030
1919#1,27036
1918#1,45129
1917#1,60523
1916#1,63022
1915#1,88317
1914#1,38521
1913#1,67013
1912#1,84410
1911#2,4635
1910#1,7738
1909#2,2085
1908
1907#2,0615
1906
1905
1904
1903
1902
1901
1900
1899
1898
1897
1896
1895
1894
1893
1892
1891
1890
1889
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1881
1880
First appearance
1907

The first year at least five girls were named Nelma! It came in at #2,061, and was given to 5 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1907–1909, when fewer than 6 girls a year got the name.

See more about Nelma
Momentum · girls
Faded out
  • Not published in 2025; last seen 1960
Rise & fade · girls
19 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1907
  • Peaked 1926 at #1,054 (50 births)
  • Births halved by 1940, 14 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Never in the top 1,000
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: never
Share of babies · girls
1 in 23,708
  • Highest: 1 in 23,708 girls born in 1926 were named Nelma (0.00%)
  • Latest: 1 in 288,849 girls born in 1960 (0.00%)
Era · girls
The 1920s
  • 33.8% of all girls named Nelma (415) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1900s10#2,061 (1907)#2,135
1910s184#1,270 (1919)#1,697
1920s415#1,054 (1926)#1,210
1930s336#1,130 (1932)#1,255
1940s195#1,418 (1941)#2,186
1950s82#2,909 (1950)#3,763
1960s7#5,168 (1960)#5,168

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Nelma in 1932

girls
#1,130
40 births · 1 in 26,679 girls

Top girls' names in 1932

  1. #1Mary59,883
  2. #2Betty34,420
  3. #3Barbara26,318
  4. #4Dorothy24,974
  5. #5Joan21,044
  6. #6Patricia17,992
  7. #7Margaret16,556
  8. #8Helen16,376
  9. #9Shirley14,476
  10. #10Doris12,910
  11. #1,130Nelma40
More about 1932

girls

1,067,148 girls got a published name in 1932; 1 in 26,679 of them was named Nelma, which outranked 77.8% of the 5,098 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Nelma
  1. #1,116Velia41
  2. #1,116Viva41
  3. #1,116Wynell41
  4. #1,130Nelma40
  5. #1,130Belia40
  6. #1,130Bernetta40
  7. #1,130Dimple40
  8. #1,147Alease39
  9. #1,147Alline39
  10. #1,147Aretha39

Tied with 16 names at #1,130; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1931
Risers
  1. 963Dian#1,876#913
  2. 519Carleen#1,394#875
  3. 357Jimmy#1,336#979
  4. 347Letty#1,287#940
  5. 340Letitia#1,148#808
Fallers
  1. 350Blossom#970#1,320
  2. 332Luetta#844#1,176
  3. 305Roy#887#1,192
  4. 289Sofia#887#1,176
  5. 282Joretta#463#745

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1932