Pamela
Girl name · #2242 in 2025 · Very rare
In 2025, 82 baby girls were named Pamela, placing it at #2242 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #1399, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 21,951 girls born in 2025 was named Pamela.
The 130-year story
Pamela first appears in the Social Security records in 1895, when 5 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1954, when 27,361 girls were named Pamela — good for #12 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Pamela per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Pamela against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Pamela in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Pamela is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Pamela will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Pamela is most common
State-level data for Pamela is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Pamela
Statistically, parents drawn to Pamela tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Marla, Sheila, Debora, Roberta, and Paula.
MarlaSheilaDeboraRobertaPaulaPatriciaDonnaDianna
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Pamela | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 82 | #2239 |
| 2024 | 88 | #2150 |
| 2023 | 102 | #1934 |
| 2022 | 95 | #2034 |
| 2021 | 112 | #1801 |
| 2020 | 123 | #1668 |
| 2019 | 146 | #1495 |
| 2018 | 136 | #1585 |
| 2017 | 155 | #1451 |
| 2016 | 184 | #1300 |
| 2015 | 167 | #1399 |
| 2014 | 185 | #1289 |
| 2013 | 205 | #1171 |
| 2012 | 215 | #1148 |
| 2011 | 266 | #961 |
| 2010 | 258 | #983 |
| 2009 | 331 | #842 |
| 2008 | 455 | #671 |
| 2007 | 516 | #582 |
| 2006 | 568 | #532 |
| 2005 | 457 | #618 |
| 2004 | 540 | #527 |
| 2003 | 673 | #446 |
| 2002 | 530 | #517 |
| 2001 | 578 | #483 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Pamela a popular girl name?
Pamela ranked #2242 among girls in 2025 with 82 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1399.
When was the name Pamela most popular?
Pamela peaked in 1954, when 27,361 American girls received the name (ranked #12 that year). Since 1954 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Pamela?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 21,951 newborn American girls was named Pamela. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.