Nelda is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Nelda means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Nelda across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Nelda has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Nelda is a girl name of Old English origin meaning “by the elder tree”. A name of uncertain origin, possibly an elaboration of Nell.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 20,144 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 6 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Nelda per year, United States (1884 to 2025). United States peaked in 1938 (567/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2020 (3/yr).
Nelda has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1938, when it ranked #482 nationally (given to 567 babies that year).
Nilda · Nelta · Nellda · Nelida · Nalda · Nolda · Nolita · Nelita
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