Vonda
An invented feminine name suggested to mean "beautiful soul seeker".
Name Census estimates that about 6,622 living Americans carry the first name Vonda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Vonda today is around 63 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vonda births was 1965 (1,093 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vonda. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
6.6K
~ 1 in 51,760 Americans
Peak year
1965
1,093 babies that year
Average age
63
years old
1966 SSA rank
#4,516
Tracked since 1899
Census
Vonda in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 7,336 people with the first name Vonda, which placed it at #3,031 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#3,031
National first-name rank
People counted
7.3K
7,336 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
2.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
72.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vonda
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Vonda is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (21.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Vonda described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Vonda at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.6% · 5,329
- Black or African American21.9% · 1,606
- Two or more races2.7% · 198
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 116
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 22
Gender
Gender distribution for Vonda
Out of the 10,323 babies given the name Vonda since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Vonda as a male name
- Ranked #4,516 in 1966
- 5 male births in 1966
- Peak: 1964 (6 births)
Vonda as a female name
- Ranked #20,326 in 2008
- 5 female births in 2008
- Peak: 1965 (1,093 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Vonda appears almost entirely female. Of the 7,335 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Vonda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vonda from the 1890s through to the 2000s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 4,016 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vonda by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Vonda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vondas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 41 states and territories. Texas, Kentucky, Indiana recorded the most babies named Vonda, while Montana, Massachusetts, North Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 172 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Vonda
The given name Vonda is believed to have its origins in the Slavic languages. It is thought to be a feminine form of the male name Vondra, which is a diminutive or pet name derived from the Old Slavic name Vaclav or Wenzel. This name has its roots in the Slavic element "ven," meaning "praise" or "glory," combined with the element "vit," meaning "ruler" or "leader."
The earliest known use of the name Vonda can be traced back to the medieval period in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in areas with significant Slavic populations, such as modern-day Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and parts of Germany. The name was likely popularized in these regions due to the influence of various Slavic cultures and the spread of Christianity.
While the name itself may not have appeared in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its roots can be traced back to the Old Slavic language, which was spoken by the ancestors of modern Slavic peoples. The name's association with the elements "praise" and "ruler" may have held significance in these cultures, potentially indicating a connection to nobility or leadership.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Vonda was Vonda Viktorovna Shepetys, a Soviet composer and pianist born in 1905 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. She was known for her contributions to Soviet classical music and her work as a teacher and educator.
Another individual with this name was Vonda Schallenburg, an American artist and sculptor born in 1928 in Kansas City, Missouri. Her works were often inspired by natural forms and organic shapes, and she exhibited her pieces across the United States.
In the realm of literature, Vonda N. McIntyre was an American science fiction author born in 1948 in Everett, Washington. She was known for her novels such as "Dreamsnake" and "The Moon and the Sun," and was a prominent figure in the science fiction community.
Vonda Pelto, born in 1941 in Los Angeles, California, was a clinical psychologist and author who wrote extensively on the topics of self-esteem, personal growth, and holistic well-being.
Lastly, Vonda Ward was an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 2002 to 2014, representing the 89th district.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Vonda, showcasing its use across various fields and cultures. Despite its relatively uncommon nature, the name has persisted over time, carrying with it the rich linguistic heritage of the Slavic peoples.
People
Vonda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vonda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Vonda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vonda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6,622 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vonda going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 51,760 US residents.
Is Vonda a common name?
We classify Vonda as "Rare". It ranks above 97.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10,323 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vonda most popular?
The single biggest year for Vonda was 1965, when 1,093 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vonda is about 63 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Vonda in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 7,336 people with the name Vonda, or 2.43 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,031 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Vonda in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Vonda?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Vonda appears almost entirely female. Of the 7,335 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Vonda?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Vonda is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (21.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Vonda most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Vonda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.6% (5,329 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Vonda in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vonda a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Vonda in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Vonda still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vonda in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Vonda can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Vonda?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.