Girls' name · since 1891
Imelda
Since 1891, U.S. Social Security records show 7,476 babies named Imelda, peaking in 1978. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1,982 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,273 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,476
- born since 1891
- 1970s
- peak decade
7,476 babies have been named Imelda since 1891, making it today's #4273 girls' name.
Imelda has 7,476 recorded births among girls since 1891, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #4273 as of the latest data, more common than 75% of girls, busiest in the 1970s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1891 to 2025.
- #1,982 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #4,273 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 7,476 born since 1891
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Imelda ranks #1,982 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,273 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 7,476 born since 1891, peaking in the 1970s.
- #1,982 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,273 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,476
- born since 1891
- 1970s
- peak decade
Imelda's 7,476 recorded births place it above 97.26% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
18 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Imelda compares
7,476 Top 11% higher than 89% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Imelda's all-time total is 20x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Imelda | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 7,476 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 149 | 21 | 19,840 |
Imelda's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Imelda's full recorded timeline at 1961, 62% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 38% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1891, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1978 peak of 149 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Imelda popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1891–2025
- Peak year (1978)
- 149
- Annual births at peak, across 135 years of records
Imelda by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (1,283 births, 17% of the file).
1970s was Imelda's strongest decade.
1,283 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Imelda births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 33
1890s
33 births
- 1900s 105
1900s
105 births
- 1910s 457
1910s
457 births
- 1920s
1920s
597 births
- 1930s 476
1930s
476 births
- 1940s 412
1940s
412 births
- 1950s
1950s
666 births
- 1960s
1960s
786 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,283 births
- 1980s
1980s
897 births
- 1990s
1990s
748 births
- 2000s 510
2000s
510 births
- 2010s 286
2010s
286 births
- 2020s 220
2020s
220 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 1,283 births (17% of all-time use).
How Imelda 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 Imelda's total volume
Imelda by state
Where Imelda concentrates geographically, total births since 1891
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 2,223 | 29.7% |
| #2 | California | | 1,760 | 23.5% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 221 | 3.0% |
| #4 | Massachusetts | | 142 | 1.9% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 86 | 1.2% |
| #6 | Arizona | | 79 | 1.1% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 55 | 0.7% |
| #8 | New York | | 48 | 0.6% |
2,223 of 7,476 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 18 reporting states.
Imelda appears in 18 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Imelda? ▼
Where does Imelda sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Imelda most popular? ▼
Where is Imelda most popular? ▼
How long has the name Imelda been used? ▼
What names are similar to Imelda? ▼
What to do with Imelda's data
- Imelda's decade-level peak was the 1970s (1,283 total births); usage has since declined to 220 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Imeldas (2,223 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Imelda
Nearby Names Like Imelda
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Imelda
Compare Imelda side by side: Imelda vs Imena Imelda vs Imela Imelda vs Imesha
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Imelda
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Imelda: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1978)
Similar record span (~134 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, 1891–2025 (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 Imelda 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.