Girl · #14,411 in 2026

Anselma

"Anselma" is a song written by César Suedan and Guadalupe Trigo, produced by T-Bone Burnett and Steve Berlin, and performed by American band Los Lobos for their EP ...And a Time to Dance in 1983. The song earned the first Grammy Award for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Performance at the 26th Grammy Awards.

  • Spanish
  • Italian
  • German
Current Rank
#14,411
Peak Rank
#2,514 (1924)
Total Babies
189
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1916
First Year
1999
Last Year
1924
Peak Year
#2514
Peak Rank
189
Total Count
27
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Anselma

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

"Anselma" is a song written by César Suedan and Guadalupe Trigo, produced by T-Bone Burnett and Steve Berlin, and performed by American band Los Lobos for their EP ...And a Time to Dance in 1983. The song earned the first Grammy Award for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Performance at the 26th Grammy Awards.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Spanish
  • Italian
  • German

The Story of Anselma

Anselma first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1916, with 9 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1924: 14 births, good for #2,514 nationwide. About 37% of every Anselma on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. Anselma last appeared in the published SSA data in 1999, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 189 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Anselma

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Anselma. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Anselma

Phonetically similar names — useful when Anselma is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Anselma

What does the name Anselma mean?
"Anselma" is a song written by César Suedan and Guadalupe Trigo, produced by T-Bone Burnett and Steve Berlin, and performed by American band Los Lobos for their EP ...And a Time to Dance in 1983. The song earned the first Grammy Award for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Performance at the 26th Grammy Awards.
What is the origin of the name Anselma?
Anselma has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Spanish, Italian, German.
How popular is Anselma in 2026?
In 2026, Anselma ranks #14,411 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.
When was Anselma most popular?
Anselma reached its peak popularity in 1924, ranking #2,514 that year with 14 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Anselma most popular?
Anselma has historically been most popular in Texas. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Anselma.
Is Anselma a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Anselma is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Anselma?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Anselma include Lether, Vestal, Merla. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Anselma?
Common variants and related forms of Anselma include Elma. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Anselma

Anselma is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1916 and has accumulated 189 births in the dataset. Anselma's peak popularity came in 1924 when it ranked #2,514. Use the chart and map above to compare Anselma's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.