Holding steady.
Popularity of Felma since 1905
Babies named Felma per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1915, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Felma's real moment was 1905.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 15 |
| 1910s | 50 |
| 1920s | 33 |
| 1930s | 15 |
| 1940s | 0 |
| 1950s | 0 |
| 1960s | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Felma is an extremely rare name first recorded in the United States in 1905. It appeared only that year in Social Security data, with no subsequent records, suggesting it was used for a single birth. The name never ranked among the top 1,000 names and has a one-in-N ratio too small to calculate. Its peak year, 1905, is also its only known year of use. Felma's origin is obscure; it may be a respelling of Thelma or a short form of names like Anselma or Felicia. Given its lack of repeated usage over time, Felma remains a curious historical artifact rather than an established name.
Felma appears to be a 20th-century invention. It may have been formed by blending elements of names like Thelma (a literary coinage by Marie Corelli) or as a feminine suffix added to a component from Felix (Latin 'happy' or 'lucky') or Anselm (Germanic 'god helmet'). The name was first recorded in the United States in 1905 but has never been common.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Felly, Lma
Variants: Velma
Sibling names for Felma
Names that share Felma's style, for a brother or sister.
