Girls' name · since 1912
Welma
Welma has 189 recorded births since 1912 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1929 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #20,432 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 189
- born since 1912
- 1920s
- peak decade
Welma is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 189 have been recorded since 1912.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Welma has been recorded 189 times among girls since 1912, though it is not among the currently most-used girls names, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1912 to 1945.
- #20,432 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 189 born since 1912
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Welma ranks #20,432 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 189 born since 1912, peaking in the 1920s.
- #20,432 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 189
- born since 1912
- 1920s
- peak decade
Welma's 189 recorded births place it above 71.75% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Welma's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Welma's SSA record in two at 1927 and the more recent half accounts for 47% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 53%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1912, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1929 peak of 15, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Welma popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1912–1945
- Peak year (1929)
- 15
- Annual births at peak, across 34 years of records
Welma by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (87 births, 46% of the file).
1920s was Welma's strongest decade.
87 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 46% of all-time use.
Welma births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s
1910s
46 births
- 1920s
1920s
87 births
- 1930s
1930s
44 births
- 1940s 12
1940s
12 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 87 births (46% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Welma? ▼
Where does Welma sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Welma most popular? ▼
How long has the name Welma been used? ▼
What names are similar to Welma? ▼
What to do with Welma's data
- Welma's decade-level peak was the 1920s (87 total births); usage has since declined to 12 in the 1940s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Welma
Nearby Names Like Welma
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Welma
Compare Welma side by side: Welma vs Weltha Welma vs Wells Welma vs Welda
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Welma: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1929)
Similar record span (~33 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, 1912–1945 (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 Welma 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.