Girl · #5,890 in 2026

Permelia

Pamela is a feminine given name, often abbreviated to Pam. Pamela is also infrequently used as a surname.

  • English
Current Rank
#5,890
Peak Rank
#1,887 (1918)
Total Babies
551
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1880
First Year
1963
Last Year
1918
Peak Year
#1887
Peak Rank
551
Total Count
64
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Permelia

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

Pamela is a feminine given name, often abbreviated to Pam. Pamela is also infrequently used as a surname.

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

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English
Origin & history
Sir Philip Sidney invented the name Pamela for a pivotal character in his epic prose work, The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia , written in the late 16th century and published posthumously. The name is widely taken to mean "all sweetness", formed on the Greek words πᾶν pan ("all") and μέλι meli ("honey"), but there is no evidence regarding what meaning, if any, Sidney intended for it. The Samuel Richardson novel Pamela in 1740 or 1741 inaugurated the use of Pamela as a given name, though it remained a rare name. The name's popularity may have been hindered by the tendency to pronounce it / p ə

The Story of Permelia

The earliest SSA record of Permelia as a baby girl name dates back to 1880, when 9 babies received it. 1918 was its biggest year on record, with 20 newborns named Permelia — #1,887 in the national rankings. Permelia last appeared in the published SSA data in 1963, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 551 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s 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

Names that sound like Permelia

Phonetically similar names — useful when Permelia 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 Permelia

What does the name Permelia mean?
Pamela is a feminine given name, often abbreviated to Pam. Pamela is also infrequently used as a surname.
What is the origin of the name Permelia?
Permelia has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.
How popular is Permelia in 2026?
In 2026, Permelia ranks #5,890 among girls' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.
When was Permelia most popular?
Permelia reached its peak popularity in 1918, ranking #1,887 that year with 20 babies given the name.
Is Permelia a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Permelia is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Permelia?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Permelia include Hetty, Percy, Irean. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

👧
Hetty
Peak #1887
👧
Percy
Peak #1887
👧
Irean
Peak #1887
👧
Loveta
Peak #1887
👧
Irja
Peak #1887
👧
Magdeline
Peak #1887
👧
Matsue
Peak #1887
👧
Vonna
Peak #1887

About the name Permelia

Permelia is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 551 births in the dataset. Permelia's peak popularity came in 1918 when it ranked #1,887. Use the chart and map above to compare Permelia'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.