Girl · #8,922 in 2026

Nelda

Nelda is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Nelda Garrone, Italian mezzo-soprano Nelda Martinez, American real estate agent and politician Nelda Speaks, American politician

  • English
Current Rank
#8,922
Peak Rank
#266 (1938)
Total Babies
20K
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1884
First Year
2024
Last Year
1938
Peak Year
#266
Peak Rank
20K
Total Count
127
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Nelda

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

Nelda is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Nelda Garrone, Italian mezzo-soprano Nelda Martinez, American real estate agent and politician Nelda Speaks, American politician

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

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English

The Story of Nelda

Nelda first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1884, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1938, when 567 Neldas were born — ranking #266 that year. As of 2026, Nelda ranks #8,922 for baby girls with 11 births, with steady use. In total, more than 20K Neldas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through 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

Names that sound like Nelda

Phonetically similar names — useful when Nelda 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 Nelda

What does the name Nelda mean?
Nelda is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Nelda Garrone, Italian mezzo-soprano Nelda Martinez, American real estate agent and politician Nelda Speaks, American politician
What is the origin of the name Nelda?
Nelda has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.
How popular is Nelda in 2026?
In 2026, Nelda ranks #8,922 among girls' names in the U.S., with 11 babies given the name that year.
When was Nelda most popular?
Nelda reached its peak popularity in 1938, ranking #266 that year with 567 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Nelda most popular?
Nelda has historically been most popular in Texas, Utah, Oklahoma. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Nelda.
Is Nelda a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Nelda is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Nelda?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Nelda include Virgie, Carmela, Evie. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Nelda

Nelda is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1884 and has accumulated 20K births in the dataset. Nelda's peak popularity came in 1938 when it ranked #266. Use the chart and map above to compare Nelda'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.