Nelda

#9,457 for girls in 2025, 10 births · Last seen for boys in 1935 at #3,645
Given to girls >99.9% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1939 · 546 births
Debut · girls
5 births
In top 100 · girls
never
of 146 years
Total births · girls
20,139
since 1884

Nelda over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Nelda has never cracked the top 200 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201935peak #264, 1939girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#9,45710—
2024#8,94611—
2023——
2022#12,2437—
2021——
2020——
2019#13,7996—
2018#13,7936—
2017#15,9025—
2016——
2015#14,4826—
2014#16,5135—
2013——
2012——
2011——
2010——
2009——
2008——
2007#15,4916—
2006#11,4179—
2005#11,8348—
2004#16,0995—
2003#9,67110—
2002#15,4325—
2001#12,0567—
2000#11,8017—
1999#9,4799—
1998#11,1387—
1997#8,33410—
1996#6,39214—
1995#8,07910—
1994#8,12210—
1993#8,05210—
1992#6,31414—
1991#9,3368—
1990#10,1937—
1989#3,78426—
1988#5,32115—
1987#3,52425—
1986#7,7498—
1985#4,45517—
1984#3,14427—
1983#2,91029—
1982#2,28843—
1981#2,77432—
1980#2,80032—
1979#2,18745—
1978#2,39037—
1977#2,34138—
1976#2,06042—
1975#1,68956—
1974#1,68854—
1973#1,93942—
1972#1,50263—
1971#1,29285—
1970#1,40774—
1969#1,17690—
1968#1,09095—
1967#1,07194—
1966#1,031101—
1965#876130—
1964#815165—
1963#801168—
1962#763186—
1961#701224—
1960#661235—
1959#671222—
1958#631242—
1957#574284—
1956#560280—
1955#476361—
1954#477350—
1953#485318—
1952#436387—
1951#423392—
1950#414375—
1949#370447—
1948#350490—
1947#371468—
1946#327521—
1945#319451—
1944#326435—
1943#311500—
1942#321464—
1941#270554—
1940#267540—
1939#264546—
1938#266567—
1937#274526—
1936#265524—
1935#281473#3,6455
1934#277493—
1933#277476—
1932#287468—
1931#310424—
1930#317434—
1929#332376—
1928#312440—
1927#320436—
1926#357349—
1925#384315—
1924#388312—
1923#439238—
1922#415251—
1921#459229—
1920#451224—
1919#554154—
1918#549164—
1917#494177—
1916#522158—
1915#518146—
1914#518117—
1913#59475—
1912#62063—
1911#62447—
1910#79429—
1909#69133—
1908#1,00416—
1907#74925—
1906#57837—
1905#71325—
1904#83719—
1903#86216—
1902#81818—
1901#74719—
1900#68827—
1899#1,03410—
1898#1,04711—
1897#98211—
1896#1,2138—
1895#93212—
1894#1,1368—
1893#1,0239—
1892——
1891#1,3325—
1890——
1889#9508—
1888#9598—
1887#9377—
1886——
1885——
1884#1,0245—
1883——
1882——
1881——
1880——
First appearance
1884

The first year at least five girls were named Nelda! It came in at #1,024, and was given to 5 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1884–1886, when fewer than 6 girls a year got the name.

Where Nelda is popular in 1935

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedAKMaine: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedMEVermont: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedNHWashington: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedWAIdaho: #144 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 587 girlsIDMontana: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedNDMinnesota: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedMNIllinois: #360 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 4,202 girlsILWisconsin: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedWIMichigan: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedMINew York: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedNYMassachusetts: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedMARhode Island: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedRIOregon: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedORNevada: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedSDIowa: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedIAIndiana: #255 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 2,527 girlsINOhio: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedOHPennsylvania: #546 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 11,929 girlsPANew Jersey: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedCTCalifornia: #566 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 6,984 girlsCAUtah: #214 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 930 girlsUTColorado: #236 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 1,596 girlsCONebraska: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedNEMissouri: #270 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 2,195 girlsMOKentucky: #239 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 1,565 girlsKYWest Virginia: #271 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 2,047 girlsWVVirginia: #339 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 3,268 girlsVAMaryland: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedMDDelaware: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedDEArizona: #195 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 777 girlsAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedNMKansas: #259 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 1,832 girlsKSArkansas: #200 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 948 girlsARTennessee: #308 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 2,734 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #320 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 3,049 girlsNCSouth Carolina: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedDCOklahoma: #164 for girls · 29 births · 1 in 758 girlsOKLouisiana: #182 for girls · 26 births · 1 in 791 girlsLAMississippi: #237 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 1,298 girlsMSAlabama: #259 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 1,626 girlsALGeorgia: #339 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 3,027 girlsGAHawaii: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedHITexas: #56 for girls · 184 births · 1 in 308 girlsTXFlorida: fewer than 5 girls named Nelda, so not publishedFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Texas#56 · 1 in 308
  2. Idaho#144 · 1 in 587
  3. Oklahoma#164 · 1 in 758
  4. Louisiana#182 · 1 in 791
  5. Arizona#195 · 1 in 777

Best ever in a state: #51 in Texas, 1938.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Texas#561841 in 308
Idaho#14461 in 587
Oklahoma#164291 in 758
Louisiana#182261 in 791
Arizona#19551 in 777
Arkansas#200201 in 948
Utah#21451 in 930
Colorado#23651 in 1,596
Mississippi#237171 in 1,298
Kentucky#239171 in 1,565
Indiana#25591 in 2,527
Alabama#259181 in 1,626
Kansas#25971 in 1,832
Missouri#270121 in 2,195
West Virginia#27191 in 2,047
Tennessee#308101 in 2,734
North Carolina#320121 in 3,049
Georgia#339101 in 3,027
Virginia#33971 in 3,268
Illinois#360121 in 4,202
Pennsylvania#54661 in 11,929
California#56651 in 6,984
Alaska———
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Delaware———
District of Columbia———
Florida———
Hawaii———
Iowa———
Maine———
Maryland———
Massachusetts———
Michigan———
Minnesota———
Montana———
Nebraska———
Nevada———
New Hampshire———
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New Mexico———
New York———
North Dakota———
Ohio———
Oregon———
Rhode Island———
South Carolina———
South Dakota———
Vermont———
Washington———
Wisconsin———
Wyoming———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Nelda
Momentum · girls
Brand new
  • 511 spots since 2024 (#8,946 → #9,457)
  • 5,025 spots since 2015 (#14,482 → #9,457)
  • Biggest jump: 346 spots in 1900 (#1,034 → #688)
  • Biggest drop: 281 spots in 1896 (#932 → #1,213)
Rise & fade · girls
55 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1884
  • Peaked 1939 at #264 (546 births)
  • Births halved by 1958, 19 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 1,000 for 70 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 70 yrs · run 1909–1965
Share of babies · girls
1 in 1,946
  • Highest: 1 in 1,946 girls born in 1938 were named Nelda (0.05%)
  • Latest: 1 in 160,727 girls born in 2025 (0.00%)
  • Its best rank, #264 in 1939, was only 1 in 2,008 (0.05%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · girls
The 1930s
  • 24.5% of all girls named Nelda (4,931) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s28#937 (1887)#968
1890s74#932 (1895)#1,087
1900s235#578 (1906)#769
1910s1,130#494 (1917)#579
1920s3,170#312 (1928)#386
1930s4,931#264 (1939)#282
1940s4,870#267 (1940)#323
1950s3,211#414 (1950)#515
1960s1,488#661 (1960)#899
1970s536#1,292 (1971)#1,850
1980s254#2,288 (1982)#3,875
1990s99#6,314 (1992)#8,544
2000s57#9,671 (2003)#12,975
2010s28#13,793 (2018)#14,898
2020s28#8,946 (2024)#10,215

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Nelda in 1935

girls
#281
473 births · 1 in 2,217 girls
boys
#3,645
5 births · 1 in 208,270 boys

Top girls' names in 1935

  1. #1Mary55,076
  2. #2Shirley42,366
  3. #3Barbara30,698
  4. #4Betty28,674
  5. #5Patricia22,879
  6. #6Dorothy19,406
  7. #7Joan18,220
  8. #8Margaret14,727
  9. #9Nancy14,544
  10. #10Helen12,785
  11. #281Nelda473

Top boys' names in 1935

  1. #1Robert56,527
  2. #2James55,005
  3. #3John47,509
  4. #4William40,204
  5. #5Richard33,946
  6. #6Charles29,983
  7. #7Donald29,674
  8. #8George18,564
  9. #9Thomas17,684
  10. #10Joseph17,181
  11. #3,645Nelda5
More about 1935

girls

1,048,577 girls got a published name in 1935; 1 in 2,217 of them was named Nelda, which outranked 94.3% of the 4,893 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.7% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Nelda
  1. #278Glenna479
  2. #279Jewel477
  3. #280Lee474
  4. #281Nelda473
  5. #282Lenora462
  6. #283Iva459
  7. #284Etta458
Biggest movers since 1934
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,736Norita#3,449 → #713
  2. ↑ 1,073Shelby#1,913 → #840
  3. ↑ 672Darla#1,344 → #672
  4. ↑ 396Shirleyann#1,292 → #896
  5. ↑ 375Loris#1,236 → #861
Fallers
  1. ↓ 545Marcelina#938 → #1,483
  2. ↓ 456Tomasa#925 → #1,381
  3. ↓ 393Glendora#938 → #1,331
  4. ↓ 388Marceline#993 → #1,381
  5. ↓ 358Rheta#526 → #884

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,041,351 boys got a published name in 1935; 1 in 208,270 of them was named Nelda, which outranked 12.1% of the 4,146 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.3% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Nelda
  1. #3,252Zannie6
  2. #3,252Zelmer6
  3. #3,252Zenon6
  4. #3,645Nelda5
  5. #3,645Abb5
  6. #3,645Abundio5
  7. #3,645Acencion5

Tied with 501 names at #3,645; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1934
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,371Darwyn#2,121 → #750
  2. ↑ 678Landon#1,608 → #930
  3. ↑ 678Stafford#1,658 → #980
  4. ↑ 666Lance#1,658 → #992
  5. ↑ 492Delwin#1,461 → #969
Fallers
  1. ↓ 534Estel#792 → #1,326
  2. ↓ 493Gustav#897 → #1,390
  3. ↓ 381Florian#845 → #1,226
  4. ↓ 353Laurie#942 → #1,295
  5. ↓ 342Valentin#931 → #1,273

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1935 →