Girls' name · since 1882
Helga
Helga has 2,209 recorded births since 1882 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1961 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #4,408 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 2,209
- born since 1882
- 1960s
- peak decade
Helga is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 2,209 have been recorded since 1882.
Helga has 2,209 recorded births among girls since 1882, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2020.
- #4,408 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 2,209 born since 1882
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Helga ranks #4,408 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 2,209 born since 1882, peaking in the 1960s.
- #4,408 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 2,209
- born since 1882
- 1960s
- peak decade
Helga's 2,209 recorded births place it above 93.9% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
10 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
Helga's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Helga's full recorded timeline at 1935, 50% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 50% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1882, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1961 peak of 54 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Helga popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2020
- Peak year (1961)
- 54
- Annual births at peak, across 139 years of records
Helga by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (338 births, 15% of the file).
1960s was Helga's strongest decade.
338 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 15% of all-time use.
Helga births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 71
1880s
71 births
- 1890s
1890s
217 births
- 1900s
1900s
167 births
- 1910s
1910s
324 births
- 1920s
1920s
231 births
- 1930s
1930s
222 births
- 1940s
1940s
145 births
- 1950s
1950s
282 births
- 1960s
1960s
338 births
- 1970s
1970s
162 births
- 1980s 29
1980s
29 births
- 1990s 16
1990s
16 births
- 2020s 5
2020s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 338 births (15% of all-time use).
How Helga compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Helga's total volume
Helga by state
Where Helga concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 253 | 11.5% |
| #2 | Minnesota | | 45 | 2.0% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 39 | 1.8% |
| #4 | California | | 36 | 1.6% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 27 | 1.2% |
| #6 | North Dakota | | 21 | 1.0% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 18 | 0.8% |
| #8 | Iowa | | 10 | 0.5% |
253 of 2,209 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 10 reporting states.
Helga appears in 10 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Helga? ▼
Where does Helga sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Helga most popular? ▼
Where is Helga most popular? ▼
How long has the name Helga been used? ▼
What names are similar to Helga? ▼
What to do with Helga's data
- Helga's decade-level peak was the 1960s (338 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Helgas (253 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Helga
Nearby Names Like Helga
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Helga
Compare Helga side by side: Helga vs Helen Helga vs Helena Helga vs Helene
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Helga: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1961)
Similar record span (~138 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1882–2020 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Helga draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.