Girls' name · since 1880
Velma
Velma has 86,752 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1921 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #411 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #5,725 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 86,752
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
86,752 babies have been named Velma since 1880, making it today's #5725 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Velma recorded 86,752 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #5725 nationally today, ahead of 67% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #411 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #5,725 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 86,752 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Velma ranks #411 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5,725 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 86,752 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #411 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #5,725 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 86,752
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Velma's 86,752 recorded births place it above 99.43% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
48 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Velma compares
86,752 Top 3% higher than 97% 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
Velma's all-time total is 231x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Velma | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 86,752 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 2,606 | 21 | 19,840 |
Velma's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Velma's full recorded timeline at 1953, 12% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 88% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2007, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1921 peak of 2,606 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Velma popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 2,606
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Velma popularity over time - boys
450 total births recorded since 1901 (Velma as boys' name)
Velma by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (22,875 births, 26% of the file).
1920s was Velma's strongest decade.
22,875 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Velma births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 358
1880s
358 births
- 1890s 2,099
1890s
2,099 births
- 1900s 6,558
1900s
6,558 births
- 1910s
1910s
18,631 births
- 1920s
1920s
22,875 births
- 1930s
1930s
14,250 births
- 1940s
1940s
9,272 births
- 1950s 6,861
1950s
6,861 births
- 1960s 3,696
1960s
3,696 births
- 1970s 1,134
1970s
1,134 births
- 1980s 512
1980s
512 births
- 1990s 191
1990s
191 births
- 2000s 97
2000s
97 births
- 2010s 107
2010s
107 births
- 2020s 111
2020s
111 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 22,875 births (26% of all-time use).
How Velma 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 Velma's total volume
Velma by state
Where Velma concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 7,932 | 9.1% |
| #2 | Oklahoma | | 3,994 | 4.6% |
| #3 | Mississippi | | 3,941 | 4.5% |
| #4 | Missouri | | 3,843 | 4.4% |
| #5 | Arkansas | | 3,586 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Alabama | | 3,522 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Louisiana | | 3,448 | 4.0% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 3,268 | 3.8% |
7,932 of 86,752 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 48 reporting states.
Velma appears in 48 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Velma? ▼
Where does Velma sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Velma most popular? ▼
Where is Velma most popular? ▼
How long has the name Velma been used? ▼
What names are similar to Velma? ▼
What to do with Velma's data
- Velma's decade-level peak was the 1920s (22,875 total births); usage has since declined to 111 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Velmas (7,932 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 Velma
Nearby Names Like Velma
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Velma
Compare Velma side by side: Velma vs Velda Velma vs Velva Velma vs Velvet
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Velma
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Velma: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1921)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Velma 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.