Pamela

#2,239 for girls in 2025, 82 births · Last seen for boys in 2004 at #11,356
Given to girls 99.8% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1953 · 25,760 births
Debut · girls
5 births
In top 100 · girls
39 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
595,076
since 1895

Pamela over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201949peak #10, 1953girls
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#2,23982—
2024#2,15088—
2023#1,934102—
2022#2,03495—
2021#1,801112—
2020#1,668123—
2019#1,495146—
2018#1,585136—
2017#1,451155—
2016#1,300184—
2015#1,399167—
2014#1,289185—
2013#1,171205—
2012#1,148215—
2011#961266—
2010#983258—
2009#842331—
2008#671455—
2007#582516—
2006#532568—
2005#618457—
2004#527540#11,3565
2003#446673—
2002#517530—
2001#483578—
2000#457607—
1999#421655#9,9125
1998#388714—
1997#359770—
1996#341814—
1995#385687—
1994#352748—
1993#324806#6,8167
1992#301920#8,4355
1991#2591,085#6,5197
1990#2381,194#4,67311
1989#1991,331#4,27112
1988#1841,510#5,7517
1987#1531,784#3,95911
1986#1382,016#5,3327
1985#1162,468#3,80511
1984#1042,642#4,5528
1983#913,029#3,88410
1982#823,546#2,83116
1981#763,881#3,41212
1980#863,533#4,9407
1979#903,365#3,16813
1978#1092,690#4,1578
1977#1022,830#2,91014
1976#843,364#2,24520
1975#704,177#2,45017
1974#545,272#2,05021
1973#475,813#2,03620
1972#347,472#1,96621
1971#2810,149#1,27243
1970#2612,907#1,15951
1969#2413,355#98960
1968#2014,031#1,20640
1967#1715,368#1,04349
1966#1516,249#1,21638
1965#1217,467#1,27136
1964#1119,823#1,21940
1963#1420,593#94763
1962#1321,270#1,31135
1961#1521,691#1,13648
1960#1422,092#1,05853
1959#1224,714#1,26538
1958#1125,279#1,00158
1957#1225,015#1,10048
1956#1226,928#1,19341
1955#1226,690#1,21938
1954#1227,361#1,22737
1953#1025,760#1,33132
1952#1720,879#1,34731
1951#1618,570#1,43027
1950#1716,202#1,39527
1949#2115,132#1,54423
1948#2214,281#1,37828
1947#2812,398#1,39428
1946#349,367#1,40925
1945#426,169#1,85214
1944#446,204#1,40023
1943#544,839#1,52921
1942#1062,632#2,5239
1941#1551,468#2,8727
1940#251631—
1939#347337—
1938#369314—
1937#399264—
1936#434220—
1935#458194—
1934#535147—
1933#629108—
1932#69296—
1931#66799—
1930#71794—
1929#666110—
1928#703100—
1927#91167—
1926#84376—
1925#86175—
1924#1,09651—
1923#1,07650—
1922#1,26938—
1921#1,40933—
1920#1,58427—
1919#1,74522—
1918#2,02918—
1917#1,99617—
1916#2,49812—
1915#1,57122—
1914#1,89613—
1913#1,46516—
1912#1,29717—
1911#1,7928—
1910#2,3985—
1909——
1908——
1907——
1906#1,7276—
1905——
1904#1,8775—
1903——
1902——
1901——
1900——
1899——
1898#1,5026—
1897——
1896——
1895#1,5925—
1894——
1893——
1892——
1891——
1890——
1889——
1888——
1887——
1886——
1885——
1884——
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1882——
1881——
1880——
First appearance
1895

The first year at least five girls were named Pamela! It came in at #1,592, and was given to 5 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1895–1897, when fewer than 6 girls a year got the name.

Where Pamela is popular in 1949

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #34 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 115 girlsAKMaine: #15 for girls · 142 births · 1 in 64 girlsMEVermont: #21 for girls · 41 births · 1 in 86 girlsVTNew Hampshire: #15 for girls · 70 births · 1 in 71 girlsNHWashington: #12 for girls · 365 births · 1 in 69 girlsWAIdaho: #13 for girls · 84 births · 1 in 73 girlsIDMontana: #22 for girls · 60 births · 1 in 101 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #27 for girls · 55 births · 1 in 121 girlsNDMinnesota: #16 for girls · 360 births · 1 in 90 girlsMNIllinois: #14 for girls · 1,214 births · 1 in 71 girlsILWisconsin: #21 for girls · 378 births · 1 in 98 girlsWIMichigan: #14 for girls · 918 births · 1 in 77 girlsMINew York: #29 for girls · 921 births · 1 in 154 girlsNYMassachusetts: #28 for girls · 438 births · 1 in 102 girlsMARhode Island: #32 for girls · 65 births · 1 in 112 girlsRIOregon: #12 for girls · 218 births · 1 in 69 girlsORNevada: #14 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 74 girlsNVWyoming: #26 for girls · 26 births · 1 in 98 girlsWYSouth Dakota: #21 for girls · 78 births · 1 in 90 girlsSDIowa: #14 for girls · 404 births · 1 in 68 girlsIAIndiana: #13 for girls · 683 births · 1 in 61 girlsINOhio: #15 for girls · 1,156 births · 1 in 75 girlsOHPennsylvania: #33 for girls · 653 births · 1 in 157 girlsPANew Jersey: #31 for girls · 287 births · 1 in 148 girlsNJConnecticut: #19 for girls · 208 births · 1 in 83 girlsCTCalifornia: #12 for girls · 1,393 births · 1 in 81 girlsCAUtah: #14 for girls · 113 births · 1 in 73 girlsUTColorado: #19 for girls · 151 births · 1 in 94 girlsCONebraska: #15 for girls · 184 births · 1 in 73 girlsNEMissouri: #20 for girls · 466 births · 1 in 83 girlsMOKentucky: #26 for girls · 309 births · 1 in 110 girlsKYWest Virginia: #24 for girls · 230 births · 1 in 104 girlsWVVirginia: #36 for girls · 238 births · 1 in 150 girlsVAMaryland: #32 for girls · 153 births · 1 in 147 girlsMDDelaware: #45 for girls · 19 births · 1 in 154 girlsDEArizona: #23 for girls · 70 births · 1 in 127 girlsAZNew Mexico: #53 for girls · 40 births · 1 in 217 girlsNMKansas: #15 for girls · 241 births · 1 in 75 girlsKSArkansas: #35 for girls · 149 births · 1 in 150 girlsARTennessee: #34 for girls · 246 births · 1 in 153 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #36 for girls · 304 births · 1 in 161 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #63 for girls · 97 births · 1 in 287 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #22 for girls · 111 births · 1 in 104 girlsDCOklahoma: #19 for girls · 245 births · 1 in 88 girlsOKLouisiana: #38 for girls · 192 births · 1 in 175 girlsLAMississippi: #68 for girls · 103 births · 1 in 283 girlsMSAlabama: #56 for girls · 136 births · 1 in 275 girlsALGeorgia: #51 for girls · 173 births · 1 in 246 girlsGAHawaii: #23 for girls · 42 births · 1 in 126 girlsHITexas: #26 for girls · 678 births · 1 in 140 girlsTXFlorida: #27 for girls · 201 births · 1 in 134 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Washington#12 · 1 in 69
  2. Oregon#12 · 1 in 69
  3. California#12 · 1 in 81
  4. Indiana#13 · 1 in 61
  5. Idaho#13 · 1 in 73

Best ever in a state: #3 in West Virginia, 1959.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
California#121,3931 in 81
Oregon#122181 in 69
Washington#123651 in 69
Idaho#13841 in 73
Indiana#136831 in 61
Illinois#141,2141 in 71
Iowa#144041 in 68
Michigan#149181 in 77
Nevada#14151 in 74
Utah#141131 in 73
Kansas#152411 in 75
Maine#151421 in 64
Nebraska#151841 in 73
New Hampshire#15701 in 71
Ohio#151,1561 in 75
Minnesota#163601 in 90
Colorado#191511 in 94
Connecticut#192081 in 83
Oklahoma#192451 in 88
Missouri#204661 in 83
South Dakota#21781 in 90
Vermont#21411 in 86
Wisconsin#213781 in 98
District of Columbia#221111 in 104
Montana#22601 in 101
Arizona#23701 in 127
Hawaii#23421 in 126
West Virginia#242301 in 104
Kentucky#263091 in 110
Texas#266781 in 140
Wyoming#26261 in 98
Florida#272011 in 134
North Dakota#27551 in 121
Massachusetts#284381 in 102
New York#299211 in 154
New Jersey#312871 in 148
Maryland#321531 in 147
Rhode Island#32651 in 112
Pennsylvania#336531 in 157
Alaska#3491 in 115
Tennessee#342461 in 153
Arkansas#351491 in 150
North Carolina#363041 in 161
Virginia#362381 in 150
Louisiana#381921 in 175
Delaware#45191 in 154
Georgia#511731 in 246
New Mexico#53401 in 217
Alabama#561361 in 275
South Carolina#63971 in 287
Mississippi#681031 in 283

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 Pamela
Momentum · girls
Falling
  • 89 spots since 2024 (#2,150 → #2,239)
  • 571 spots since 2020 (#1,668 → #2,239)
  • 840 spots since 2015 (#1,399 → #2,239)
  • Biggest jump: 235 spots in 1925 (#1,096 → #861)
  • Biggest drop: 187 spots in 2012 (#961 → #1,148)
Rise & fade · girls
58 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1895
  • Peaked 1953 at #10 (25,760 births)
  • Births halved by 1971, 18 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 10 for 1 yr
  • Top 10: 1 yr · 1953
  • Top 100: 39 yrs · run 1943–1976
  • Top 1,000: 87 yrs · run 1925–2011
Share of babies · girls
1 in 71
  • Highest: 1 in 71 girls born in 1954 were named Pamela (1.4%)
  • Latest: 1 in 19,601 girls born in 2025 (0.01%)
  • Its best rank, #10 in 1953, was only 1 in 73 (1.4%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · girls
The 1950s
  • 39.9% of all girls named Pamela (237,398) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1890s11#1,502 (1898)#1,547
1900s11#1,727 (1906)#1,802
1910s150#1,297 (1912)#1,869
1920s627#666 (1929)#1,042
1930s1,873#347 (1939)#525
1940s73,121#21 (1949)#76
1950s237,398#10 (1953)#13
1960s181,939#11 (1964)#16
1970s58,039#26 (1970)#64
1980s25,740#76 (1981)#123
1990s8,393#238 (1990)#337
2000s5,255#446 (2003)#568
2010s1,917#961 (2011)#1,278
2020s602#1,668 (2020)#1,971

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.

Pamela in 1949

girls
#21
15,132 births · 1 in 113 girls
boys
#1,544
23 births · 1 in 77,128 boys

Top girls' names in 1949

  1. #1Linda91,015
  2. #2Mary66,874
  3. #3Patricia46,324
  4. #4Barbara42,600
  5. #5Susan37,709
  6. #6Sandra30,643
  7. #7Nancy29,249
  8. #8Carol26,780
  9. #9Kathleen26,357
  10. #10Sharon25,713
  11. #21Pamela15,132

Top boys' names in 1949

  1. #1James86,858
  2. #2Robert83,873
  3. #3John81,178
  4. #4William61,506
  5. #5Michael60,047
  6. #6David59,611
  7. #7Richard50,946
  8. #8Thomas45,192
  9. #9Charles40,052
  10. #10Larry31,819
  11. #1,544Pamela23
More about 1949

girls

1,710,877 girls got a published name in 1949; 1 in 113 of them was named Pamela, which outranked 99.7% of the 6,066 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.7% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Pamela
  1. #18Shirley17,281
  2. #19Diane17,252
  3. #20Judy15,979
  4. #21Pamela15,132
  5. #22Betty14,936
  6. #23Janet14,860
  7. #24Janice14,453
Biggest movers since 1948
Risers
  1. ↑ 937Sharman#1,708 → #771
  2. ↑ 665Roseanna#1,422 → #757
  3. ↑ 483Shauna#1,173 → #690
  4. ↑ 293Jacalyn#1,116 → #823
  5. ↑ 267Sanjuana#1,185 → #918
Fallers
  1. ↓ 339Sandie#939 → #1,278
  2. ↓ 296Syble#955 → #1,251
  3. ↓ 272Shirleen#964 → #1,236
  4. ↓ 266Ginny#734 → #1,000
  5. ↓ 260Dina#861 → #1,121

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

boys

1,773,939 boys got a published name in 1949; 1 in 77,128 of them was named Pamela, which outranked 63.3% of the 4,205 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.9% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Pamela
  1. #1,501Valentino24
  2. #1,501Vaughan24
  3. #1,501Wilburt24
  4. #1,544Pamela23
  5. #1,544Acie23
  6. #1,544Alvan23
  7. #1,544Auther23
  8. #1,583Aldo22
  9. #1,583Arlon22
  10. #1,583Arnett22

Tied with 38 names at #1,544; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1948
Risers
  1. ↑ 538Lannie#1,107 → #569
  2. ↑ 411Lenwood#1,296 → #885
  3. ↑ 338Robby#1,296 → #958
  4. ↑ 326Ocie#1,323 → #997
  5. ↑ 319Denzil#1,127 → #808
Fallers
  1. ↓ 473Loyal#989 → #1,462
  2. ↓ 446Rich#963 → #1,409
  3. ↓ 395Brock#733 → #1,128
  4. ↓ 376Baron#972 → #1,348
  5. ↓ 333Murry#989 → #1,322

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

See the top 100 for 1949 →