Girl · #5,563 in 2026

Helma

Name: Popularity of the name Helma in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Helma, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Helma is a feminine German or Dutch given name, and a Czech surname. Notable persons with that name include:Helma Knorscheidt, East German shot putter Helma Lehmann, German rower Helma Neppérus, Dutch politician Helma Orosz, German politician Helma Sanders-Brahms (1940–2014), German film director

Current Rank

#5,563

Peak Rank

#1,485 (1916)

Total Babies

595

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1880

First Year

1952

Last Year

1916

Peak Year

#1485

Peak Rank

595

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Helma

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

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

The Story of Helma

Helma first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1916, when 25 Helmas were born — ranking #1,485 that year. As of 2026, Helma ranks #5,563 for baby girls with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 595 Helmas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Helma

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

Hilma
Helmi
Halma
Hilmi
Helmet
Helm
Hella
Helmut
Helms
Helmed
Hema
Hela

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Helma

What does the name Helma mean?

How popular is Helma in 2026?

In 2026, Helma ranks #5,563 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.

When was Helma most popular?

Helma reached its peak popularity in 1916, ranking #1,485 that year with 25 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Helma most popular?

Helma has historically been most popular in Wisconsin. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Helma.

Is Helma a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Helma is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Helma?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Helma include Arabell, Berte, Onezia. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Helma

Helma is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 595 births in the dataset. Helma's peak popularity came in 1916 when it ranked #1,485. Use the chart and map above to compare Helma'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.