Is Nelma a boy or girl name?

Nelma is a girl’s name. Of the 1,229 Americans recorded with the name since 1880, 100.0% were girls and 0.0% were boys.

Nelma

Recorded 1907–1960 · United States

Nelma was most popular in 1926, when 50 American babies were given the name — ranking #1,926 that year. It was not recorded in 2025. Across 1880–2025 the Social Security Administration has recorded 1,229 people named Nelma.

Nelma over time

Births per year. The dot marks Nelma’s peak in 1926. Gaps are years the SSA suppressed, which it does for any name given to fewer than five babies.

Is Nelma a boy’s or a girl’s name?

Across the whole record Nelma is a girl’s name — 100.0% of the 1,229 Americans given it were girls and 0.0% were boys.

Counted from every US birth the Social Security Administration recorded under this name, so it reflects use rather than opinion. A name given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year is withheld at source and is not counted.

Names that peaked alongside Nelma

Where Nelma is most concentrated

How much more common the name is in each state than across the country as a whole.

Texas 7.5×

Explore further

See Nelma on the interactive charts

Source: U.S.A. Social Security Administration. Years 1880–2025. namelegacy.org