Velma
Velma was given to 21 girls in 2025, #5,902 among girls’ names; 87,202 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 19,100 Americans named Velma and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (22% of everyone recorded); the median is 75 years old and half are between 65 and 83.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Velma by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Velma mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Velma is “a female given name originating as a coinage.”
Coined at the end of the 19th century, by analogy with Thelma and Wilma.
/ˈvɛlmə/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Velma?
#5,902 among girls’ names, 2025
Velma rose from #16,287 in 2015 to #5,902 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 3.4 to 13.1 per million.
2,613 babies in 1921, the peak
Velma peaked in 1921, when 2,613 babies were given it (2,606 girls, #108 among girls’ names). The 21 births of 2025 are under 1% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 21 | #5,902 | 0.01 |
| 2024 | 13 | #8,402 | 0.01 |
| 2023 | 22 | #5,732 | 0.01 |
| 2022 | 25 | #5,295 | 0.02 |
| 2021 | 15 | #7,608 | 0.01 |
| 2020 | 15 | #7,541 | 0.01 |
| 2019 | 14 | #8,103 | 0.01 |
| 2018 | 21 | #5,988 | 0.01 |
| 2017 | 8 | #12,649 | under 0.01 |
| 2016 | 7 | #14,233 | under 0.01 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 6 | #16,287 | under 0.01 |
| 2014 | 13 | #8,935 | 0.01 |
| 2013 | 9 | #11,899 | 0.01 |
| 2012 | 5 | #19,370 | under 0.01 |
| 2011 | 15 | #8,166 | 0.01 |
| 2010 | 9 | #12,213 | 0.01 |
| 2009 | 10 | #11,405 | 0.01 |
| 2008 | 6 | #17,369 | under 0.01 |
| 2007 | 5 | #20,395 | under 0.01 |
| 2006 | 9 | #12,371 | under 0.01 |
| 2005 | 7 | #14,431 | under 0.01 |
| 2004 | 14 | #8,225 | 0.01 |
| 2003 | 11 | #9,643 | 0.01 |
| 2002 | 14 | #7,799 | 0.01 |
| 2001 | 9 | #10,977 | under 0.01 |
| 2000 | 12 | #8,510 | 0.01 |
| 1999 | 12 | #8,198 | 0.01 |
| 1998 | 16 | #6,348 | 0.01 |
| 1997 | 11 | #8,311 | 0.01 |
| 1996 | 12 | #7,557 | 0.01 |
| 1995 | 13 | #7,021 | 0.01 |
| 1994 | 19 | #5,233 | 0.01 |
| 1993 | 20 | #4,987 | 0.01 |
| 1992 | 15 | #6,295 | 0.01 |
| 1991 | 40 | #2,925 | 0.02 |
| 1990 | 33 | #3,351 | 0.02 |
| 1989 | 32 | #3,321 | 0.02 |
| 1988 | 37 | #2,860 | 0.02 |
| 1987 | 41 | #2,525 | 0.02 |
| 1986 | 43 | #2,381 | 0.03 |
| 1985 | 35 | #2,745 | 0.02 |
| 1984 | 50 | #2,047 | 0.03 |
| 1983 | 55 | #1,905 | 0.03 |
| 1982 | 58 | #1,871 | 0.03 |
| 1981 | 83 | #1,474 | 0.05 |
| 1980 | 78 | #1,527 | 0.05 |
| 1979 | 78 | #1,516 | 0.05 |
| 1978 | 83 | #1,411 | 0.05 |
| 1977 | 76 | #1,467 | 0.05 |
| 1976 | 95 | #1,204 | 0.06 |
| 1975 | 93 | #1,240 | 0.06 |
| 1974 | 110 | #1,075 | 0.07 |
| 1973 | 131 | #933 | 0.09 |
| 1972 | 120 | #995 | 0.08 |
| 1971 | 167 | #832 | 0.10 |
| 1970 | 181 | #783 | 0.10 |
| 1969 | 191 | #732 | 0.11 |
| 1968 | 222 | #652 | 0.14 |
| 1967 | 273 | #578 | 0.17 |
| 1966 | 299 | #546 | 0.18 |
| 1965 | 362 | #500 | 0.21 |
| 1964 | 395 | #488 | 0.21 |
| 1963 | 407 | #478 | 0.21 |
| 1962 | 464 | #446 | 0.24 |
| 1961 | 524 | #428 | 0.26 |
| 1960 | 559 | #407 | 0.28 |
| 1959 | 550 | #400 | 0.27 |
| 1958 | 502 | #417 | 0.25 |
| 1957 | 668 | #352 | 0.33 |
| 1956 | 692 | #333 | 0.34 |
| 1955 | 634 | #338 | 0.32 |
| 1954 | 749 | #309 | 0.39 |
| 1953 | 737 | #304 | 0.39 |
| 1952 | 706 | #300 | 0.38 |
| 1951 | 798 | #277 | 0.44 |
| 1950 | 825 | #267 | 0.48 |
| 1949 | 798 | #272 | 0.47 |
| 1948 | 871 | #254 | 0.51 |
| 1947 | 848 | #260 | 0.48 |
| 1946 | 875 | #242 | 0.56 |
| 1945 | 861 | #223 | 0.66 |
| 1944 | 935 | #211 | 0.70 |
| 1943 | 1,046 | #201 | 0.75 |
| 1942 | 1,052 | #196 | 0.78 |
| 1941 | 1,000 | #188 | 0.83 |
| 1940 | 986 | #188 | 0.86 |
| 1939 | 1,068 | #178 | 1.0 |
| 1938 | 1,160 | #174 | 1.1 |
| 1937 | 1,218 | #164 | 1.1 |
| 1936 | 1,180 | #167 | 1.1 |
| 1935 | 1,352 | #147 | 1.3 |
| 1934 | 1,426 | #144 | 1.4 |
| 1933 | 1,481 | #137 | 1.5 |
| 1932 | 1,689 | #133 | 1.6 |
| 1931 | 1,758 | #131 | 1.7 |
| 1930 | 1,918 | #127 | 1.7 |
| 1929 | 1,930 | #128 | 1.7 |
| 1928 | 2,290 | #114 | 2.0 |
| 1927 | 2,285 | #118 | 1.9 |
| 1926 | 2,120 | #124 | 1.8 |
| 1925 | 2,177 | #128 | 1.8 |
| 1924 | 2,272 | #123 | 1.8 |
| 1923 | 2,337 | #116 | 1.9 |
| 1922 | 2,367 | #113 | 2.0 |
| 1921 | 2,606 | #108 | 2.1 |
| 1920 | 2,491 | #105 | 2.1 |
| 1919 | 2,341 | #104 | 2.1 |
| 1918 | 2,439 | #103 | 2.1 |
| 1917 | 2,411 | #99 | 2.2 |
| 1916 | 2,319 | #99 | 2.2 |
| 1915 | 2,287 | #94 | 2.3 |
| 1914 | 1,795 | #92 | 2.4 |
| 1913 | 1,556 | #89 | 2.5 |
| 1912 | 1,403 | #88 | 2.5 |
| 1911 | 1,045 | #90 | 2.5 |
| 1910 | 1,035 | #90 | 2.6 |
| 1909 | 857 | #92 | 2.5 |
| 1908 | 860 | #90 | 2.6 |
| 1907 | 854 | #90 | 2.7 |
| 1906 | 721 | #94 | 2.4 |
| 1905 | 722 | #95 | 2.5 |
| 1904 | 615 | #101 | 2.2 |
| 1903 | 589 | #99 | 2.2 |
| 1902 | 526 | #113 | 2.0 |
| 1901 | 388 | #130 | 1.6 |
| 1900 | 426 | #141 | 1.4 |
| 1899 | 334 | #139 | 1.4 |
| 1898 | 331 | #152 | 1.3 |
| 1897 | 280 | #160 | 1.2 |
| 1896 | 249 | #174 | 1.0 |
| 1895 | 208 | #189 | 0.89 |
| 1894 | 196 | #190 | 0.88 |
| 1893 | 156 | #202 | 0.73 |
| 1892 | 146 | #212 | 0.69 |
| 1891 | 103 | #236 | 0.56 |
| 1890 | 96 | #257 | 0.50 |
| 1889 | 72 | #281 | 0.40 |
| 1888 | 67 | #287 | 0.38 |
| 1887 | 59 | #277 | 0.40 |
| 1886 | 33 | #377 | 0.23 |
| 1885 | 32 | #364 | 0.24 |
| 1884 | 18 | #500 | 0.14 |
| 1883 | 25 | #372 | 0.22 |
| 1882 | 17 | #456 | 0.16 |
| 1881 | 19 | #392 | 0.21 |
| 1880 | 16 | #434 | 0.18 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Velma a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Velma has been given almost only to girls: 450 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Velma: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Velma, and how old are they?
19,100 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 22% of the 87,202 Americans ever recorded as Velma. The median Velma alive today is 75 years old; half are between 65 and 83.
The 2020 Census counted 23,131 people named Velma (23,071 women and girls, 60 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 25,818 born in the U.S. The Census count is 10% below that prediction. Possible reasons: people who give a short form or another name to the Census, and a survival estimate that can run high.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 6,080 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 9,570 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 2,340 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 568 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 163 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 188 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Velma born?
The states with the most babies named Velma are Texas, Oklahoma and Mississippi, with 21% of its births recorded by state since 1910; Oklahoma and Mississippi are not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 7,938 | not ranked | 1.8× |
| Oklahoma | 3,994 | not ranked | 2.5× |
| Mississippi | 3,941 | not ranked | 2.4× |
| Missouri | 3,843 | not ranked | 1.8× |
| Arkansas | 3,586 | not ranked | 2.6× |
| Alabama | 3,522 | not ranked | 1.6× |
| Louisiana | 3,448 | not ranked | 2.0× |
| Illinois | 3,268 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Tennessee | 3,260 | not ranked | 1.6× |
| Ohio | 2,910 | not ranked | 0.7× |
Where Velma is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Velma is most over-represented in Arkansas: since 1910 it was given 2.6 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Velma with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Velma
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Velma and names like it
- Compare Velma and RubyeBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sVelma peaked in 1921.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Velma since 1910.
- Coined namesWiktionary’s origin for Velma: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1921The year the most babies were named Velma.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Velma alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with VMost given first.