girl's name
Velma
VEL-muh
- Origin American
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 87,205
Ireland
#572
1975 births
Velma is an invented name with no root at all — it appears in nineteenth-century America built on the pattern of Selma and Thelma, and the Germanic derivations offered for it were attached afterwards.
- Velma is a name of American origin.
- Peaked in 1921, when 2,613 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 157,878 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Velma over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 358 |
| 1890s | 2,099 |
| 1900s | 6,589 |
| 1910s | 18,743 |
| 1920s | 23,020 |
| 1930s | 14,359 |
| 1940s | 9,310 |
| 1950s | 6,876 |
| 1960s | 3,696 |
| 1970s | 1,134 |
| 1980s | 512 |
| 1990s | 191 |
| 2000s | 97 |
| 2010s | 107 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 111 |
What Velma means
Velma has no established meaning. It was assembled on the pattern of existing names rather than descended from a word, and the readings offered were supplied retrospectively.
Where Velma comes from
Velma is a nineteenth-century American coinage, formed on the model of Selma and Thelma — themselves largely literary inventions — and it has no traceable parent. Sources sometimes derive it from Wilhelmina, giving resolute protection, but the phonetic route is weak and the timing does not support inheritance. It belongs with Arlene, Glenda and Kendra among names that arrived without an etymology and had one supplied later.
Velma in use
Velma peaked in the United States in 1921, when 2,613 babies were registered, and now ranks 5894th there. Our data flags it as reviving, but the underlying numbers do not support reading much into that: American births ran 21, 14, 15, 15, 25, 22, 13 and 21 across 2018 to 2025, which is flat within ordinary year-to-year variation rather than a recovery. It holds 87,205 lifetime births and charts in one of the seven markets we track.
How popular is Velma?
In 2025, Velma was given to 21 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Velma is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Velma
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Velma also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Velma over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Velma in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Velma
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Velma — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Velma
What does the name Velma mean?
Nothing established. It was coined on the pattern of Selma and Thelma and had meanings supplied later.
Is Velma short for Wilhelmina?
Sometimes claimed, but the phonetic route is weak and the timing does not support it.
Is Velma coming back?
Our trend column says reviving, but American births have run between 13 and 25 a year since 2018 — flat, not recovering.
How popular is Velma?
5894th in the United States, down from a 1921 peak of 2,613 births.
Is Velma a girl's or a boy's name?
Velma is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Velma?
Velma has 2 syllables.
Is Velma a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Velma currently ranks #5,894 in the United States. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.