Total births
20,139
Girls' name · since 1884
Nelda
Nelda has 20,139 recorded births since 1884 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1938 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #8966
- among girls today
- 20,139
- born since 1884
- 1930s
- peak decade
- 49%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Nelda is the #8966 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 20,139 recorded since 1884.
Nelda has 20,139 recorded births among girls since 1884, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #8966 as of the latest data, more common than 49% of girls, busiest in the 1930s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1884 to 2025.
- #8966 among girls today
- 20,139 born since 1884
- 1930s peak decade
- 49% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Nelda is currently the #8966 girls' name in America, more common than 49% of girls - 20,139 born since 1884, peaking in the 1930s.
- #8966
- among girls today
- 20,139
- born since 1884
- 1930s
- peak decade
- 49%
- more common than other girls
Nelda vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#8966
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 49% of names given to girls today.
1930s
Peak decade
24% of everyone ever named Nelda was born in this single decade.
1938
Single peak year
567 babies were named Nelda in 1938 - its busiest year on record.
How Nelda compares
20,139 Top 6% higher than 94% of 17,726 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
Nelda's all-time total is 53x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nelda | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 20,139 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 567 | 48 | 19,840 |
Nelda's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Nelda splits its recorded history at 1952: 24% of all births land in the more recent half, 76% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1884 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1938 peak of 567 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Nelda at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1938
Current rank
#8,966
Active since
1884
Nelda popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1884–2025
- Peak year (1938)
- 567
- Annual births at peak, across 142 years of records
Nelda popularity over time - boys
5 total births recorded since 1935 (Nelda as boys' name)
Nelda by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1930s was Nelda's strongest decade.
4,931 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Nelda births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 28
1880s
28 births
- 1890s 74
1890s
74 births
- 1900s 235
1900s
235 births
- 1910s 1,130
1910s
1,130 births
- 1920s
1920s
3,170 births
- 1930s
1930s
4,931 births
- 1940s
1940s
4,870 births
- 1950s
1950s
3,211 births
- 1960s 1,488
1960s
1,488 births
- 1970s 536
1970s
536 births
- 1980s 254
1980s
254 births
- 1990s 99
1990s
99 births
- 2000s 57
2000s
57 births
- 2010s 28
2010s
28 births
- 2020s 28
2020s
28 births
What this shows Peak: 1930s at 4,931 births (24% of all-time use).
How Nelda 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 Nelda's total volume
Nelda vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Nelda by state
Where Nelda concentrates geographically, total births since 1884
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 6,491 | 32.2% |
| #2 | Louisiana | | 956 | 4.7% |
| #3 | Alabama | | 916 | 4.5% |
| #4 | Oklahoma | | 897 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Mississippi | | 762 | 3.8% |
| #6 | Tennessee | | 612 | 3.0% |
| #7 | Missouri | | 565 | 2.8% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 541 | 2.7% |
Texas share of Nelda's total US births 32.2%
Even split
6,491 of 20,139 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 36 reporting states.
Nelda appears in 36 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nelda? ▼
Since 1884, Social Security records show 20,139 babies named Nelda. Today it holds rank #8966 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1938, with 567 births.
When was Nelda most popular? ▼
Nelda was most popular in the 1930s decade with 4,931 total births. The single peak year was 1938.
Where is Nelda most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Nelda are Texas (6,491 births), Louisiana (956 births), Alabama (916 births).
How long has the name Nelda been used? ▼
Records for Nelda go back to 1884, giving 142 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Nelda? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Nellie, Nell, Nelly, Nelle, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Nelda's data
- Nelda's decade-level peak was the 1930s (4,931 total births); usage has since declined to 28 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Neldas (6,491 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Nelda
Nearby Names Like Nelda
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nelda
Nellie Girl
#521 152,691 births
Nell Girl
#1457 27,612 births
Nelly Girl
#1360 7,792 births
Nelle Girl
#5022 5,794 births
Nella Girl
#2779 4,374 births
Compare Nelda side by side: Nelda vs Nellie Nelda vs Nell Nelda vs Nelly
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nelda
Jerusha #8965
1,197 births · Peak 1975
Temple #8967
1,568 births · Peak 1971
Zita #8964
2,977 births · Peak 1922
Genoveva #8968
2,577 births · Peak 1925
Andrew #8963
4,961 births · Peak 1987
Levie #8969
207 births · Peak 1912
Sibyl #8962
4,464 births · Peak 1918
Marjory #8970
8,172 births · Peak 1921
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1884–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Nelda: #8966 Girls' Name - 20,139 Births, Peak 1938." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/nelda. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Nelda 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 June 2026.