Given name · also Germanic
Imelda
“warrior in the universal battle”
Imelda is used as a given name. One Italian interpretation is “warrior in the universal battle.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Italian interpretation is “warrior in the universal battle.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Germanic.
How it developed
From Italian Imelda, from Spanish Imelda, from German Irmhild.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1891. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Imelda through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 7,476
- 0 boys · 7,476 girls
- Most popular year
- 1978
- 149 babies
- 2025
- 33
- #4,295 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +2%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 33 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 4,295 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 1.7% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 149 in 1978. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 20,817 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Imelda’s family of names
In Spanish usage, Imelda has a related form in Emelda. Imelda has a related form in Imalda. Imelda has a related form in Imaldah.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Imelda
- Imelda MarcosPhilippine former First Lady (born 1929)
- Imelda StauntonBritish actress (born 1956)
- Imelda MayIrish singerborn 1974
- Imelda ChiappaItalian racing cyclistborn 1966
- Imelda Lambertinipatroness of First Holy Communicants1322–1333
- Imelda MolokommeMotswana feminist activist and community developerborn 1942
- Imelda Ximenes BeloTimorese swimmerborn 1998
- Imelda Wigunabadminton playerborn 1951
- Imelda Cajipe-EndayaFilipina artistborn 1949
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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If you love Imelda, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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