How Many People Are Named Zelma?
An estimated 2,703 people in the United States have the first name Zelma. It is predominantly female (99.3%). The average bearer is 70 years old, and Zelma peaked in popularity in 1919 with 494 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Zelma as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Zelma paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Zelma is overwhelmingly female, 112 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 70, Zelma is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1966.
Estimated Living Americans
2,703
About 1 in 126,805 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Female
99.3% confidence
Average Age
70
years old
Peak Year
1919
494 births
Total Registered
16,919
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Zelma
Zelma is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 16,919 total births registered, 99.3% were female.
Zelma as a male name
Ranked #3,429 in 1944
6 male births in 1944
Peak: 1921 (12 births)
Zelma as a female name
Ranked #6,893 in 2024
17 female births in 2024
Peak: 1919 (488 births)
Zelma: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Zelma span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 4,149 babies were registered. Zelma has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Zelma by Decade
How has Zelma tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Zelma by State
Birth registrations for Zelma span all 34 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma. The lowest are in Wisconsin, Oregon, Maine. On average, about 331 Zelmas were registered per state.
Zelma + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Zelma as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Zelma
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
Zelma: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zelma?
We estimate approximately 2,703 people named Zelma are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 126,805 Americans share this first name.
Is Zelma a common name?
Zelma is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 94.8% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 16,919 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Zelma most popular?
Zelma reached peak popularity in 1919, when 494 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Zelma is approximately 70 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Zelma a female name?
Zelma is predominantly female. 99.3% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Zelma Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Zelma Smith, Zelma Johnson, Zelma Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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