# Velma (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/velma/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈvɛlmə/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 87,202 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 450 / 86,752 (99% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | not in the ONS data |

## Etymology

Coined at the end of the 19th century, by analogy with Thelma and Wilma.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 15 | 8,170 |
| 2012 | 5 | 19,377 |
| 2013 | 9 | 11,904 |
| 2014 | 13 | 8,940 |
| 2015 | 6 | 16,293 |
| 2016 | 7 | 14,238 |
| 2017 | 8 | 12,653 |
| 2018 | 21 | 5,992 |
| 2019 | 14 | 8,107 |
| 2020 | 15 | 7,546 |
| 2021 | 15 | 7,613 |
| 2022 | 25 | 5,298 |
| 2023 | 22 | 5,737 |
| 2024 | 13 | 8,407 |
| 2025 | 21 | 5,903 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1932 | 23 | 1,504 |
| 1933 | 8 | 2,990 |
| 1934 | 9 | 2,733 |
| 1935 | 13 | 2,123 |
| 1936 | 11 | 2,293 |
| 1937 | 5 | 3,986 |
| 1938 | 10 | 2,473 |
| 1939 | 5 | 3,940 |
| 1940 | 8 | 2,854 |
| 1944 | 11 | 2,303 |
| 1945 | 7 | 2,982 |
| 1946 | 6 | 3,506 |
| 1949 | 6 | 3,670 |
| 1954 | 5 | 4,334 |
| 1955 | 10 | 2,750 |

## People named Velma

- Velma Barfield, American serial killer (1932-1984)
- Velma Dunn, diver (1918–2007)
- Velma Middleton, American singer (1917–1961)
- Velma Wallis, American writer, Gwich'in people
- Lyn McClements, Australian swimmer, Olympic gold medallist

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.