Feminine dossier · first seen 1880
Zelma
Endangered
Down 96.7% from peak
Peak era
1919
Peak births
488
Current vitality
Rare
Peak generation
Greatest Generation
Quick answers about Zelma
How many people are named Zelma?
An estimated 2,095 living Americans are named Zelma.
How rare is Zelma?
Zelma is very rare among babies today, with 16 girls receiving the name in 2025, down 96.7% from its 1919 peak.
How old is the typical Zelma?
The median age of a living American named Zelma is approximately 70 years, with most bearers falling between 58 and 79 years old.
Is Zelma still popular?
No. Zelma is endangered as a baby name, down 96.7% from its 1919 peak with 16 births in 2025.
Where is Zelma most common?
Zelma has its strongest geographic signal in Oklahoma, where it appears 4.1× more often than the national baseline.
1880Peak 19192025
Peak year
1919
Decline from peak
96.7%
2025
16
All-time
16,824
Where it lives now
Zelma is most concentrated in Oklahoma — about 4.1× the national rate in the 1940s.
States where Zelma is given more often than the national average — its present-day heartland.