Given name & surname
Vela
“a dark-skinned beauty”
Vela is a variant of Velanie. In American use, Velanie carries the interpretation “a dark-skinned beauty.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Vela is a variant of Velanie. In American use, Velanie carries the interpretation “a dark-skinned beauty.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Vela connects to the Melanie name family through Velanie. Melanie has been associated with Old French, Latin, and Greek naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1888. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Vela through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,082
- 0 boys · 1,082 girls
- Most popular year
- 1915
- 38 babies
- 2025
- 17
- #6,813 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +21%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 17 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 6,813 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 21.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 38 in 1915. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 517 as a first name in 2020; 24,228 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Vela’s family of names
Vela is an affectionate form of Veleslav. Vela has a related form in Velanie. Vela is an affectionate form of Wielisław.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Vela
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Vela, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Vella
“a dark-skinned beauty”
>99% girls
Velma
“determined protector”
>99% girls
Verna
“woman from Verona” · “from the alder-tree grove”
>99% girls
Verena
“protector and defender”
>99% girls
Vira
Vira is a feminine given name from Ukrainian.
>99% girls
Beulah
“married” · “woman who is claimed as a wife”
>99% girls
Elda
“a battlemaiden; a protector”
>99% girls
Eda
Eda is a variant of Edith. One English interpretation is “the spoils of war; one who is joyous; a treasure.”
>99% girls