Velma
Feminine
Velma is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 86,752 girls against 450 boys since 1880.
Velma is a name with no agreed parent. It appears in American records in the nineteenth century, spreads without a book or a famous bearer to explain it, and every account of where it came from is a reconstruction after the fact.
How old is the name Velma?
Velma was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Velma alive today was born around 1927, making them about 98 years old. About 21,500 people named Velma are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Velma most popular?
Velma peaked in 1912, reaching #88 nationally. Today it ranks #5722, 5,634 places below that high. See the whole 1912 chart.
Velma appears on this list:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Velma
Our story of Velma begins with a sound that was in the air. Thelma had arrived from a novel, Selma from Sweden and from a poem, Wilma from German-speaking families down the road — and once three names share an ending, a fourth can be made simply by starting somewhere else and landing in the same place. Someone did. It went on a certificate, and then on another, and the ending did the rest, because a name that sounds like three names people already know does not have to explain itself.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No settled origin. It is most often explained as a variant of Wilma, itself short for Wilhelmina, which would give the Germanic wil and helm, 'resolute protector'. Others treat it as a reshaping of Selma or Thelma, both of which appeared in the same decades. None of these is documented; what is documented is that all four names rose together, which suggests they were heard as a family.
Pronouncing Velma
VEL-muh
Two syllables, stress on the first. No variation between English accents.
Nicknames for Velma
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
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 19212,606 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #88reached in 1912
- Change vs 2022
- −16.0%21 in 2025, from 25
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.
Velma in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Vilma in English — spelling variant
- Vilma in Hungarian — related form
- Wilma in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California.
Velmas among us
people named Velma are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 76,537 born in 2025 was named Velma
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
Velma 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
Velma beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Velma in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Two firm syllables with a clean consonant frame, which stands up well against a long surname.
- It is genuinely uncommon now while being entirely traditional in American records.
- Vee is available as a short, modern-sounding form.
- It has no established meaning or parent name to offer.
- The name is strongly associated with a long-running animated series, which is the first reference for many people.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Velma to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Velma? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Velma
Feminine · #5722 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Velmas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 21,500 people named Velma are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Velma in 2025?
- Velma ranks #5722 among US girl names in 2025, with 21 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Velma?
- About 1 in every 76,537 US girls born in 2025 was named Velma — 21 in all.
- Will my child share the name Velma with classmates?
- Velma will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Velma
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Rosina#5722 · Delores#5722 · Vaughn#5722 · Roseline#5722 · Loyal#5722 · Missy#5722 · Danitza#5722 · Margret#5722
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Velma? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Velma and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle