Velna
Feminine
Velna is a rare two-syllable name close to Velma and Vilna, with a soft n in the middle. It is quiet and old-fashioned, and it has been given very rarely.
How old is the name Velna?
Velna first appears in US birth records in 1900 — 125 years ago. The typical Velna alive today was born around 1922, making them about 103 years old. Fewer than a hundred people named Velna are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
When was the name Velna most popular?
Velna peaked in 1915, reaching #1285 nationally. See the whole 1915 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Velna
Velma was a familiar American name of its time, and families changed a letter here and there to make their own versions. Velna takes the m of Velma and softens it to an n. It has almost no history of its own beyond that small change, and so it arrives without associations, ready to be whatever its bearer makes of it.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No source records the origin of Velna. It may be a spelling near Velma or Vilna, and no record says which.
Pronouncing Velna
VEL-nuh
Two syllables, stressed on the first.
Nicknames for Velna
Limited
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
- 1900
- Most girls named
- 191530 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1285reached in 1915
- Change vs 1954
- +40.0%7 in 1956, from 5
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.
Velnas among us
Fewer than a hundred people named Velna are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Velna sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It is almost certainly unique among the people she will meet.
- It is short and easy to say.
- People will hear Velma and correct it.
- In Latvian, velna is a form of the word for devil, which Latvian speakers will notice.
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Velna
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Velnas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. Fewer than a hundred people named Velna are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
- How popular is the name Velna in 2025?
- Velna is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Velna with classmates?
- Velna will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More V names
The most-given names starting with V, all years combined.
Virginia#525 · Victoria#54 · Valerie#127 · Vanessa#377 · Vivian#70 · Veronica#427 · Violet#13 · Vicki
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Velna? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Velna and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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