Imelda
Feminine · “whole battle”
Imelda is a Germanic compound joining a word for the whole world to one for battle — and it came into Italian and Spanish through the Lombards.
How old is the name Imelda?
Imelda first appears in US birth records in 1891 — 134 years ago. The typical Imelda alive today was born around 1972, making them about 53 years old. About 5,500 people named Imelda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Imelda most popular?
Imelda peaked in 1911, reaching #766 nationally. Today it ranks #4265, 3,499 places below that high. See the whole 1911 chart.
Where it comes from
From Irmhild to Imelda
The story of Imelda
Irmin was a Saxon deity or a divine attribute, and the element irmin came to mean whole or universal in Germanic naming — Irmingard, Irmintrud, Imelda. Blessed Imelda Lambertini was a fourteenth-century Bolognese girl who died at eleven and became patron of first communicants. The name is used in Italy, Spain, Mexico and the Philippines, and appears in American records around 1910.
Meaning
whole battle, universal battle
From Germanic irmin, whole or universal, and hild, battle; the first element also names a Saxon pillar-god and gives Irma and Emma, and the second closes Brunhild and Matilda.
How the name formed
- Irmhild
- Imelda
Related forms: Imelda · Imelda · Irmhild
Pronouncing Imelda
ee-MEL-dah
Three syllables with the stress in the middle. Every letter is sounded in Spanish.
Nicknames for Imelda
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1891
- Most girls named
- 1978149 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #766reached in 1911
- Change vs 2022
- 0.0%33 in 2025, from 33
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Imelda in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Imelda in Italian — same name
- Imelda in Spanish — same name
- Irmhild in German — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas.
Imeldas among us
people named Imelda are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 48,705 born in 2025 was named Imelda
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Imelda sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Imelda is headed
Imelda should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Imelda beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Imelda in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled Germanic meaning with both elements clearly attested.
- Mel is a complete short form in its own right.
- Used in Italy, Spain, Mexico and the Philippines alike.
- A Philippine political figure is a strong association for many.
- It reads as of an older generation to Spanish and Italian speakers.
- The meaning is about battle, which some find heavy.
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What they receive
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Imelda
Feminine · #4265 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Imeldas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 5,500 people named Imelda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Imelda in 2025?
- Imelda ranks #4265 among US girl names in 2025, with 33 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Imelda?
- About 1 in every 48,705 US girls born in 2025 was named Imelda — 33 in all.
- Will my child share the name Imelda with classmates?
- Imelda will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Imelda
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Hyacinth#4265 · Halina#4265 · Michal#4265 · Sadia#4265 · Zahava#4265 · Maiah#4265 · Daysi#4265 · Corrie#4265
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Imelda? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Imelda and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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