Velma

#5,722 for girls in 2025, 21 births · Last seen for boys in 1955 at #2,558
Given to girls 99.5% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1912 · 1,403 births
Debut · girls
16 births
In top 100 · girls
14 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
86,752
since 1880

Velma over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201911peak #88, 1912girls
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
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#5,72221
2024#7,96713
2023#5,54922
2022#5,17225
2021#7,25015
2020#7,21215
2019#7,71614
2018#5,78521
2017#11,6158
2016#12,8767
2015#14,4826
2014#8,48513
2013#11,0009
2012#16,8695
2011#7,78315
2010#11,2469
2009#10,67910
2008#15,4056
2007#17,6365
2006#11,4179
2005#13,0107
2004#7,82814
2003#9,04811
2002#7,44414
2001#10,1029
2000#8,02712
1999#7,71612
1998#6,07316
1997#7,74211
1996#7,13012
1995#6,64113
1994#5,01619
1993#4,82620
1992#6,00815
1991#2,88640
1990#3,29733
1989#3,25332
1988#2,80337
1987#2,49341
1986#2,34443
1985#2,70435
1984#2,01850
1983#1,88755
1982#1,85058
1981#1,45583
1980#1,51878
1979#1,50378
1978#1,39783
1977#1,45176
1976#1,19195
1975#1,22993
1974#1,070110
1973#933131
1972#993120
1971#828167
1970#781181
1969#731191
1968#651222
1967#577273
1966#546299
1965#499362
1964#487395
1963#478407
1962#445464
1961#428524
1960#406559
1959#400550
1958#416502
1957#352668
1956#332692
1955#338634#2,55810
1954#309749#3,8275
1953#304737
1952#300706
1951#277798
1950#267825
1949#272798#3,2986
1948#254871
1947#259848
1946#242875#3,1736
1945#223861#2,7437
1944#211935#2,19511
1943#2011,046
1942#1961,052
1941#1881,000
1940#188986#2,6718
1939#1781,068#3,4805
1938#1741,160#2,32610
1937#1641,218#3,5185
1936#1671,180#2,18411
1935#1471,352#2,02913
1934#1441,426#2,5639
1933#1371,481#2,7388
1932#1331,689#1,46523
1931#1311,758#2,47110
1930#1271,918#1,96415
1929#1281,930#2,09614
1928#1142,290#2,27013
1927#1182,285#2,52311
1926#1242,120#1,84618
1925#1282,177#1,62822
1924#1232,272#1,77620
1923#1162,337#2,44612
1922#1132,367#2,80110
1921#1082,606#3,5177
1920#1052,491#1,88518
1919#1042,341#1,57622
1918#1032,439#2,26013
1917#982,411#2,42311
1916#992,319#2,38911
1915#942,287#2,18412
1914#921,795#2,4578
1913#891,556#1,44114
1912#881,403#2,5445
1911#901,045#1,2908
1910#901,035#1,1938
1909#92857#1,0838
1908#90860#1,2176
1907#90854#1,2006
1906#94721
1905#94722
1904#101615#1,0646
1903#99589
1902#113526
1901#130388#1,0585
1900#141426
1899#139334
1898#152331
1897#160280
1896#174249
1895#188208
1894#189196
1893#201156
1892#212146
1891#236103
1890#25496
1889#28172
1888#28667
1887#27459
1886#37133
1885#35432
1884#47918
1883#36625
1882#44617
1881#38419
1880#42116
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Velma was already there! It came in at #421, and was given to 16 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 2007–2008, when fewer than 7 girls a year got the name.

Where Velma is popular in 1911

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Velma, so not publishedAKMaine: #104 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 385 girlsMEVermont: fewer than 5 girls named Velma, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 girls named Velma, so not publishedNHWashington: #129 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 617 girlsWAIdaho: fewer than 5 girls named Velma, so not publishedIDMontana: fewer than 5 girls named Velma, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Velma, so not publishedNDMinnesota: #206 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 1,288 girlsMNIllinois: #96 for girls · 45 births · 1 in 431 girlsILWisconsin: #121 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 545 girlsWIMichigan: #121 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 553 girlsMINew York: #305 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 3,718 girlsNYMassachusetts: #244 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 2,721 girlsMARhode Island: fewer than 5 girls named Velma, so not publishedRIOregon: #36 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 121 girlsORNevada: fewer than 5 girls named Velma, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 girls named Velma, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: #105 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 376 girlsSDIowa: #38 for girls · 46 births · 1 in 134 girlsIAIndiana: #65 for girls · 28 births · 1 in 281 girlsINOhio: #93 for girls · 41 births · 1 in 409 girlsOHPennsylvania: #135 for girls · 41 births · 1 in 842 girlsPANew Jersey: fewer than 5 girls named Velma, so not publishedNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 girls named Velma, so not publishedCTCalifornia: #95 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 367 girlsCAUtah: #67 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 204 girlsUTColorado: #48 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 156 girlsCONebraska: #35 for girls · 32 births · 1 in 117 girlsNEMissouri: #46 for girls · 70 births · 1 in 163 girlsMOKentucky: #187 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 913 girlsKYWest Virginia: #128 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 516 girlsWVVirginia: #199 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 1,339 girlsVAMaryland: #165 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 982 girlsMDDelaware: fewer than 5 girls named Velma, so not publishedDEArizona: fewer than 5 girls named Velma, so not publishedAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 girls named Velma, so not publishedNMKansas: #34 for girls · 45 births · 1 in 120 girlsKSArkansas: #42 for girls · 46 births · 1 in 156 girlsARTennessee: #72 for girls · 41 births · 1 in 243 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #138 for girls · 21 births · 1 in 610 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #202 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 1,138 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 girls named Velma, so not publishedDCOklahoma: #12 for girls · 91 births · 1 in 88 girlsOKLouisiana: #100 for girls · 26 births · 1 in 346 girlsLAMississippi: #37 for girls · 63 births · 1 in 146 girlsMSAlabama: #53 for girls · 69 births · 1 in 173 girlsALGeorgia: #129 for girls · 25 births · 1 in 601 girlsGAHawaii: fewer than 5 girls named Velma, so not publishedHITexas: #34 for girls · 127 births · 1 in 154 girlsTXFlorida: #173 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 748 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Oklahoma#12 · 1 in 88
  2. Kansas#34 · 1 in 120
  3. Texas#34 · 1 in 154
  4. Nebraska#35 · 1 in 117
  5. Oregon#36 · 1 in 121

Best ever in a state: #12 in Kansas, 1910.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Oklahoma#12911 in 88
Kansas#34451 in 120
Texas#341271 in 154
Nebraska#35321 in 117
Oregon#36131 in 121
Mississippi#37631 in 146
Iowa#38461 in 134
Arkansas#42461 in 156
Missouri#46701 in 163
Colorado#48151 in 156
Alabama#53691 in 173
Indiana#65281 in 281
Utah#6761 in 204
Tennessee#72411 in 243
Ohio#93411 in 409
California#95181 in 367
Illinois#96451 in 431
Louisiana#100261 in 346
Maine#10461 in 385
South Dakota#10551 in 376
Michigan#121171 in 553
Wisconsin#121131 in 545
West Virginia#128121 in 516
Georgia#129251 in 601
Washington#12951 in 617
Pennsylvania#135411 in 842
North Carolina#138211 in 610
Maryland#16551 in 982
Florida#17351 in 748
Kentucky#187121 in 913
Virginia#19981 in 1,339
South Carolina#20281 in 1,138
Minnesota#20651 in 1,288
Massachusetts#24451 in 2,721
New York#305101 in 3,718
Alaska
Arizona
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Hawaii
Idaho
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
North Dakota
Rhode Island
Vermont
Wyoming

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Velma
Momentum · girls
Rising
  • 2,245 spots since 2024 (#7,967#5,722)
  • 1,490 spots since 2020 (#7,212#5,722)
  • 8,760 spots since 2015 (#14,482#5,722)
  • Biggest jump: 125 spots in 1885 (#479#354)
  • Biggest drop: 165 spots in 1972 (#828#993)
Rise & fade · girls
32 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1912 at #88 (1,403 births)
  • Births halved by 1955, 43 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 14 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 14 yrs · run 1905–1917
  • Top 1,000: 94 yrs · run 1880–1973
Share of babies · girls
1 in 373
  • Highest: 1 in 373 girls born in 1907 were named Velma (0.27%)
  • Latest: 1 in 76,537 girls born in 2025 (0.00%)
  • Its best rank, #88 in 1912, was only 1 in 398 (0.25%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · girls
The 1920s
  • 26.4% of all girls named Velma (22,875) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s358#274 (1887)#366
1890s2,099#139 (1899)#191
1900s6,558#90 (1908)#104
1910s18,631#88 (1912)#95
1920s22,875#105 (1920)#118
1930s14,250#127 (1930)#150
1940s9,272#188 (1941)#223
1950s6,861#267 (1950)#330
1960s3,696#406 (1960)#525
1970s1,134#781 (1970)#1,138
1980s512#1,455 (1981)#2,233
1990s191#2,886 (1991)#5,734
2000s97#7,444 (2002)#11,060
2010s107#5,785 (2018)#10,786
2020s111#5,172 (2022)#6,479

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.

Velma in 1911

girls
#90
1,045 births · 1 in 400 girls
boys
#1,290
8 births · 1 in 28,246 boys

Top girls' names in 1911

  1. #1Mary24,390
  2. #2Helen11,801
  3. #3Margaret9,279
  4. #4Dorothy8,869
  5. #5Ruth8,003
  6. #6Anna6,753
  7. #7Elizabeth6,298
  8. #8Mildred6,271
  9. #9Marie5,017
  10. #10Frances4,967
  11. #90Velma1,045

Top boys' names in 1911

  1. #1John13,446
  2. #2William10,593
  3. #3James9,952
  4. #4George6,586
  5. #5Robert6,526
  6. #6Joseph6,488
  7. #7Charles5,725
  8. #8Frank4,314
  9. #9Edward4,164
  10. #10Thomas3,292
  11. #1,290Velma8
More about 1911

girls

418,309 girls got a published name in 1911; 1 in 400 of them was named Velma, which outranked 96.9% of the 2,868 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 21.9% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Velma
  1. #87Marguerite1,113
  2. #88Fannie1,100
  3. #89Mamie1,095
  4. #90Velma1,045
  5. #91Cora1,022
  6. #91Rosa1,022
  7. #93Genevieve989
Biggest movers since 1910
Risers
  1. 1,003Laurette#1,935#932
  2. 683Glenda#1,521#838
  3. 680Ana#1,421#741
  4. 623Vilma#1,521#898
  5. 523Emmaline#1,421#898
Fallers
  1. 1,194Alys#997#2,191
  2. 959Leana#997#1,956
  3. 686Coletta#859#1,545
  4. 686Blossom#970#1,656
  5. 659Otis#997#1,656

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

boys

225,970 boys got a published name in 1911; 1 in 28,246 of them was named Velma, which outranked 35.5% of the 1,999 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 31.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Velma
  1. #1,190Vernal9
  2. #1,190Virginia9
  3. #1,190Zeke9
  4. #1,290Velma8
  5. #1,290Abbott8
  6. #1,290Alexis8
  7. #1,290Alfonza8
  8. #1,387Ace7
  9. #1,387Alfons7
  10. #1,387Alfonzo7

Tied with 96 names at #1,290; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1910
Risers
  1. 900Vincenzo#1,589#689
  2. 900Wyman#1,589#689
  3. 882Rodger#1,589#707
  4. 796Cedric#1,589#793
  5. 796Hughie#1,589#793
Fallers
  1. 881Bertha#859#1,740
  2. 881Arlo#859#1,740
  3. 831Shelton#556#1,387
  4. 812Guss#928#1,740
  5. 812Halley#928#1,740

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

See the top 100 for 1911