Girls' name · since 1920
Velvet
Velvet has 3,096 recorded births since 1920 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1961 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #3,543 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #8,417 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 3,096
- born since 1920
- 1960s
- peak decade
3,096 babies have been named Velvet since 1920, making it today's #8417 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Velvet has been recorded 3,096 times among girls since 1920, currently ranked #8417 nationally and more common than 51% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1960s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1920 to 2025.
- #3,543 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #8,417 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 3,096 born since 1920
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Velvet ranks #3,543 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #8,417 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 3,096 born since 1920, peaking in the 1960s.
- #3,543 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #8,417 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 3,096
- born since 1920
- 1960s
- peak decade
Velvet's 3,096 recorded births place it above 95.1% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
26 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Velvet compares
3,096 Top 18% higher than 82% 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
Velvet's all-time total is 8x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Velvet | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 3,096 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 332 | 21 | 19,840 |
Velvet's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Velvet's SSA record in two at 1985 and the more recent half accounts for 21% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 79%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1920, with only 6 births recorded -- set against the 1961 peak of 332, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Velvet popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1920–2025
- Peak year (1961)
- 332
- Annual births at peak, across 106 years of records
Velvet popularity over time - boys
5 total births recorded since 1941 (Velvet as boys' name)
Velvet by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (1,257 births, 41% of the file).
1960s was Velvet's strongest decade.
1,257 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 41% of all-time use.
Velvet births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 6
1920s
6 births
- 1940s 119
1940s
119 births
- 1950s 168
1950s
168 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,257 births
- 1970s
1970s
662 births
- 1980s 401
1980s
401 births
- 1990s 206
1990s
206 births
- 2000s 110
2000s
110 births
- 2010s 94
2010s
94 births
- 2020s 73
2020s
73 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 1,257 births (41% of all-time use).
How Velvet 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 Velvet's total volume
Velvet by state
Where Velvet concentrates geographically, total births since 1920
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 211 | 6.8% |
| #2 | North Carolina | | 118 | 3.8% |
| #3 | Texas | | 105 | 3.4% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 83 | 2.7% |
| #5 | New York | | 65 | 2.1% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 60 | 1.9% |
| #7 | Virginia | | 54 | 1.7% |
| #8 | Tennessee | | 51 | 1.6% |
211 of 3,096 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 26 reporting states.
Velvet appears in 26 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Velvet? ▼
Where does Velvet sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Velvet most popular? ▼
Where is Velvet most popular? ▼
How long has the name Velvet been used? ▼
What names are similar to Velvet? ▼
What to do with Velvet's data
- Velvet's decade-level peak was the 1960s (1,257 total births); usage has since declined to 73 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Velvets (211 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Velvet
Nearby Names Like Velvet
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Velvet
Compare Velvet side by side: Velvet vs Velma Velvet vs Velda Velvet vs Velva
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Velvet
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Velvet: 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 (~105 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, 1920–2025 (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 Velvet 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.