NameRealm
Pamela

Pamela: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“all sweetness”
Origin
English
Say it
PAM-uh-luh · 3 syllables
Used for
Girls

Coined by Sir Philip Sidney in the 16th century, probably from Greek pan 'all' and meli 'honey'. It was later popularized by Samuel Richardson's novel 'Pamela'.

English namesNames meaning loveNames meaning joyNames meaning beautyLiterary namesClassic names

How popular is Pamela?

202426.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Pamela in 202488

2024 rank#2,144 girls

Peak year1954

Total US babies since 1880596,378

Pamela is fading: recent use is about 50% of its level ten years before.

Names like Pamela

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Pamall sweetness · Greek
  • Pamalaall sweetness · Greek
  • Oliviaolive tree · English
  • Evelyndesired; little bird · English
  • Harperharp player · English
  • Violetviolet flower · English
  • Hazelhazel tree · English
  • Ellieshort form of names ending in -el or -ella · English

Pamela questions

What does the name Pamela mean?

Pamela means "all sweetness". It comes from English. Coined by Sir Philip Sidney in the 16th century, probably from Greek pan 'all' and meli 'honey'. It was later popularized by Samuel Richardson's novel 'Pamela'.

Is Pamela a boy or girl name?

Pamela is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Pamela?

88 US babies were named Pamela in 2024. Its peak year was 1954.

How do you pronounce Pamela?

Pamela is usually pronounced PAM-uh-luh.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.